Glasgedächtnisse
by LeDiz
Summary: The side story to I Always Do Glass memories. For those who don't know, this is the story of the years between Kurt Wagner's Seventh and tenth birthdays, and the Hell that he forgot. Ugh! Hooray for corny summaries!
1. Movies

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Can we say- side story? Yep. Side fling from my story I always Do. If you haven't read this, a lot of small things won't make sense, but it can probably be read on its own… who knows? Not me!

****

DISCLAIMER: (For those who don't know me, my disclaimers are jokes. Literally) (No offence to Lawyers for this one!)  
**Q)** How do you know when a lawyer's going to lie?  
**A)** They open their mouth…

Hey, while I'm thinking on it. Astrid and Johannes are names created for Kurt's parents by Internutter. All the others, as far as I know, are either Marvel's or mine. Big deal, yes? And these- ///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ mean change in tense, from present to Kurt aged seven. We all good?

##########====###########

Harvard Ventile had first based his entire career on trying to help those teenagers that would one day look back on the pitiful woes and laugh. Sure, they would say, our problems were terrible for a teenager to deal with, but if I knew then what I know now…

And one day they would look back and thank the heavens for that school psychologist. He helped me through my pathetic worries. Even if just to listen.

So when Jean Gray approached him just before Christmas, he was not only surprised, but eager. Miss popularity was a common problem is girls. They either regretted what they did to others to get where they were, or wished they were higher. He'd seen it a million times.

"It's not actually for me, Mr. Ventile." She smiled. "I don't suppose you know about the institute I attend?"

"Ah, yes, Xavier's institute for Gifted Youngsters."

"Yes. Well, we accept students from all over the globe. One of the students is Kurt Wagner… do you know him?"

Indeed Ventile did know Kurt Wagner. He was one of those that were often sent to him for being disruptive, as if they expected Ventile to suggest medication. But Kurt was a much more interesting case, if he remembered correctly. He behaved very oddly, even if he never did stop smiling.

"Well, I think he needs some help." She said delicately. "But I don't imagine he'd be too impressed if we suggested it. So I wondering if maybe… you could."

Ventile smiled. "I could talk to him. See if it's imperative. Would that put your mind at ease?"

"No, but I'd appreciate it." She smiled again.

So for the next three days, Ventile spent his free time examining the boy. Three days to the appointment. And in those three days, he became increasingly disturbed.

After the appointment, he was convinced. Kurt Wagner was your textbook Crying Class Clown. He had a great deal of stress and trauma, but shrugged it off with a joke and a smile. No one would ever know he was in pain.

Personal space issues- Physical violence?  
Strong family belief- Family has been hurt.  
These two… domestic violence.  
Possible bulimia.  
Rarely changes clothing.  
Vulcan salute- fantasy world?

The list went on. When Kurt finally did agree to regular sessions, he and Ventile began an increasingly irritating game of cat and mouse. Kurt would offer up the most ridiculous statements, then not explain himself. He would mention names and small details of his personal life, then refuse to elaborate.

When he did, it was such a ridiculous story that Ventile seriously considered writing a novel from it. Psychological thriller. Would hit the best seller list straight away in the mutant-crazed world.

The disturbing thing was it all fit together perfectly. It explained everything.

Which is why Ventile found himself alone on the last night of school, staring at his tapes of Wagner sessions.

##########====###########

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" cried Kurt, jumping onto the table. "We got the DVD to work in the rec.!"

Bobby jumped up. "About time!" he looked at Scott, exasperated. "I was about ready to call it in! Who cares about what's comfortable, I want my movies!"

Scott grinned. "I hear that. How'd you do it, in the end?" he asked Kurt, who was walking along the table above them.

"I called in a favour from Kitty." He said, looking at his hands in regret. "These fingers just weren't meant for wires and stuff."

"You risked shorting out our stuff?" cried Bobby. "How dare you!"

"She'd got better control than that, Bobby." Said Jean.

"Yeah. I do!" said Kitty, as Kurt jumped down to go through the door with them. "And besides, you were the one who wanted this team bonding night."

"No, I was the one that wanted a movie night. Scott and Jean made it a practice of bondage."

"Bobby!" snapped Scott.

Rogue smiled softly when she saw Kurt laugh. He'd bounced back a lot better than usual. He was actually laughing now, not just pretending. And the grin was new, something they hadn't seen, ever.

She sighed. She, however, wasn't dealing nearly as well.

When 'Loke' touched her bare hand, she'd absorbed all Kurt's bad memories. And not just things most of the institute knew, like Winzeldorf, being burnt. Bad memories like the glass building, and the old things with Stefan. She could remember being forced to write until sleep overpowered you. Being stolen. Being told he was stolen.

She shivered.

No. She wasn't going to think about stuff like that tonight. Tonight was the last night of school, and god help her, she was going to enjoy it. So what if she'd almost failed about three classes? She had her final year to look forward to. And two months of nothing before that.

She collapsed on the sofa bed beside Kurt and he grinned at her. "I snuck in a Daria movie for you."

"Cool." She grinned. "Which one?"

"Think it's the one about college…" he frowned. "Dunno. I wasn't really paying attention."

"And why not?"

"Have you seen the chick who works at the video store?" whispered Bobby from her other side. "Zowie!"

Kurt chuckled. "Something like that."

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Something like that." Said Joch. The French actor had joined the circus only a few months ago, but he had adapted to the fantasy like a gypsy. He grinned at his co-star. "You need help with that?"

Kurt growled at his costume. "No kidding I need help. The collar won't attach at the back."

Joch smiled and took it from him. The 'collar' was really just a loose bit of felt, designed so it looked like Kurt was wearing a mask. It had a long pretend Zipper down the back, which attached to a chain of silver that coupled as a belt and pretended to hold his tail in place.

To a naïve audience member, it would look like Kurt, Flockig the Ringmaster, was wearing a cheap, if well made, costume.

Kurt cleared his throat, bouncing up and down absently, trying to warm up. "Did Mama say what the crowd way like tonight?"

"Non, I'm afraid." He adjusted his own costume and picked up his baton. "But we need not worry. They'll think you're insane just like every other crowd." He pointed to the circus ring. "You ready?"

"As ever. See you out there." Said Kurt, before jumping for the rope ladder.

Astrid and Johannes entered the back of the tent, smiling. "Day, Joch. Where's Kurti gone?"

"Upstairs. Why?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Just Stefan. He's convinced there's someone out there after him, as usual. You know how Kurti gets scared of those stories." Astrid pulled open the costume trunk and passed Johannes his uniform. "Especially when he puts in all those insane vampire slayers."

Joch rolled his eyes. "If you ask me, Margali needs to reign that boy in. He's getting out of hand. He's even getting Jimaine in on the act."

Johannes shrugged. "Yeah. I know that, you know that, half the circus knows that, but Margali sure doesn't."

"She refuses to admit her son is scaring the life out of people. With all those 'predictions' of his."

The Frenchman grimaced, and the music started outside. "And that's our cue to shut up, correct?"

"Correct." She smiled.

##########====###########

Kurt looked down from his perch. Ugh. He loved heights and climbing and all that, but what he was worried about was what if he misjudged it? After all, if he messed up, that left the circus kinda stuck. No way to tie in a few of the acts.

He waited until the music hit a certain note, braced himself and listened for the drums.

He jumped into the black.

He landed in a spotlight as the cymbals crashed, his head down, his arms and legs positioned to look like a cat. He looked up from under his eyebrows, grinning.

Then he released a smoke pellet and flipped away into a gymnast pose. He grinned around him. It would, he knew, look fairly impressive, to a new audience. The effect was lost after a few shows.

"Mein Damen und Herren! Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and Gentlemen!" he cried, spinning dramatically so they would notice the tail. "Welcome! Welcome to my circus! Welcome to The Fair! I am the Ringmaster, Flockig! Yes, Flockig." He added, grinning.

"Tonight, you will see amazing feats! Tricks of the eye, acts of contortionism to rival water, flying acrobatics so spectacular you forget flying is impossible. And then there's the rest of the troupe." He grinned again. "Yes, I did say you would forget the impossible. This is because, my dear, dear friends, nothing is impossible at The Fair. The future is not shrouded in darkness. Magic is not some story. Fantasy, as you can see, comes to life. And so, without further ado-"

"HERR FLOCKIG!"

Kurt froze theatrically, hunching his shoulders and baring his teeth in a grimace. He quickly turned to Joch, who was storming from the backstage. "Yes, my lord?"

"What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I-"

"I'm sorry, Ladies and Gentlemen, but I believe you have been misled." He turned apologetically to the crowd, who had been quite enjoying the display. "This is Herr Flockig, he cleans the magic out of the air after the show. I did not realise he was taking over the show." He cocked an eye at Kurt. "Now get backstage. Frau Conjurer is waiting for you."

"But my lord!"

"Flockig…"

##########====###########

Kurt slid back through the curtain amid gales of laughter. The tirade had lasted longer than usual, but the crowd liked it. Kurt enjoyed anything the crowd enjoyed, so he was grinning like a madman, running through the troupe to where his adopted mother was waiting.

"How'd it go?" asked Johannes, sweeping him up into a hug.

Kurt laughed, struggling against his foster father's hold. "Paaapa! Let me go! It went great! Good audience tonight."

"Ach, Kurti!" Astrid pushed back his hair and frowned. "You cut yourself on Joch's baton again!"

Kurt wriggled away. "I'm fine. Where's Stefan?"

"In the midway."

"Aww!" Kurt couldn't see him if Stefan was working. While the circus was open for customers, Kurt wasn't allowed to even leave the tent. Especially not during a performance, because he was meant to stay by the entrances, waiting for a good time to 'muck up' the show. "What about Jimaine?"

"Midway."

He groaned, his tail lashing in frustration. It got boring waiting for the fire-masters to finish.

He wandered back to the front of the backstage and lay down on the ground, looking out from under the tent flaps.

##########====###########

Kurt stormed outside and sat down hard. Joch had, without thinking, grabbed hold of his tail in order to drag him around the ring. Kurt knew Joch was sorry and that he hadn't meant it, but that didn't mean he was any less annoyed.

He scooped up a random pebble and tossed it at the next tent.

People never understood that his tail wasn't just there. People couldn't understand that it hurt more than if someone grabbed an arm or leg. No one else had a tail, so he didn't hold it against them, but it was a little depressing.

There was no one like him, and no one could ever understand what it was like to be him.

No one even knew what he was.

He groaned, annoyed with his train of thought. He knew he wasn't a demon, which is what most people called him. He certainly wasn't human, but he FELT human. He didn't feel any different to the other kids… well, he didn't understand girls. They were weird. He didn't really understand Stefan either, but Stefan was a sorcerer. No one understood sorcerers. Not even other sorcerers.

Kurt frowned. Something felt a little wrong. He wasn't sure what, but he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Then his actual senses caught up with his 'feeling' and he turned, confused.

"Uh… who are-"

##########====###########

Joch came through the curtain and immediately fell into a apologetic stance. He looked at Viktor. "Seen Kurti?"

The tumbler shook his head. "Uh… he came back about twenty minutes ago, went outside. Didn't he come in again?"

"No. I pulled his tail in the ring…"

"Ach, Joch!" he groaned. "You don't pull the tail!"

"I know! I need to apologise. He didn't come on and I had to improvise for bringing on the next act. Can you just take over from Margali while I go find him? We can't do that again."

Viktor nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll tell the others. You just find Kurti."

"Thank you, Viktor. Break a leg."

"I'll never get used to that saying…"

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Of course, they didn't find him." Said the tape, sounding for all the world like he was discussing the weather. "But they tried. Oh, God, but they tried. Spent hours, then days looking for him. Eventually, though, the circus had to move on. Joch tore himself up. Thought it was his fault. He left the circus, staying in the village, waiting for Kurt to come back. He convinced Astrid and Johannes that they couldn't stay in the village. With the star and the ringmaster gone, Joch reasoned, der Jahkmart couldn't afford to lose their best acrobats. But every night after the circus closed, they would go out into the surrounding woods, as if they'd find him."

Ventile rubbed his eyes, scanning the page of notes in front of him. He drank from the wineglass by his hand and sighed.

"They didn't find him. Not until they came back to the village, two years later. And there, waiting for them, was Joch, holding a little nine-year-old demon in his arms, who wouldn't speak, and flinched at every movement. He refused to write." The voice chuckled. "What happened? Well, isn't it obvious, Mr. Ventile? No? Well. Allow me to continue where we left off…"

Ventile turned off the tape and ran a hand through his hair. That was enough for tonight. He didn't know why he was going back over these things. It would be amazing if he ever saw Kurt Wagner again.

He coughed and tried to convince himself. He was going to write that novel. He needed notes. Yes. That was it.

So Harvard Ventile set down his notes and picked up his wineglass, then left his study. That was enough for tonight.


	2. Cornflakes

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I find myself in a quandary, dear readers. On the one hand, I have this, which is a Kurt angst, and therefore my obsession, on the other, I have a Kietro, which I find myself enjoying, and I'm writing it for my one and only worshipper. So. Do you see?

Oh, and for the Disclaimers, I've found a website that gives me my jokes! So if I'm lucky, they'll be really terrible!

****

DISCLAIMER: Every Saturday morning Grandpa Walt found himself babysitting his three grandchildren...all boys. The kids always wanted to play ''war,'' and Grandpa somehow always got coaxed into the game.  
His daughter came to pick up the kids early one Saturday and witnessed Grandpa take a fake shot as Jason pointed a toy gun and yelled, "Bang!''  
Grandpa slumped to the floor and stayed there motionless. The daughter rushed over to see if he was all right. Grandpa opened one eye and whispered, ''Sh-h-h, I always do this. It's the only chance I get to rest.'' 

#######====#######

Rogue stretched out, looking around. Bobby had rolled off the bed and was sleeping in a sitting position, his arms pillowing his head, propped on the mattress. Scott and Jean were curled up on the side couch and Kitty was cuccooned on the end of the bed.

Kurt was nowhere in sight.

She crawled over the back of the sofa and went out into the hall. It was obviously still early, dawn only just finished, probably. The kitchen was empty, so she grabbed herself some cornflakes and began walking around.

He wasn't in his room, or any of the new mutants' rooms. The gym was empty but for Ororo, who was in the middle of tai chi or something. She went back downstairs, chewing thoughtfully.

Then she heard laughter coming from one of the lounge rooms.

She looked in and felt her eyebrows shoot upward. Logan and Kurt had obviously been watching a movie, because it was still playing, but they were currently in a very deep discussion. They were almost… friendly.

Shivering at the idea, Rogue turned and walked back to the kitchen.

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

He looked up, wincing slightly at the feeling on the back of his neck where the man had hit him.

It was just a huge… black… glass building.

He'd never seen one like this before, but he didn't like the feel of it. Especially when a man walked out of it, smiling.

He didn't like it when people smiled like that. It looked… wrong. And he was holding what looked suspiciously like a real collar.

"Hello. Do you speak English, little boy?"

Kurt glared at him. Anyone who was going to have someone hit him over the head with a rock and drag him to who knew where to ask him stupid questions did not deserve an answer.

"Well? Do you?"

"He does. I heard him talking to one of the vendors in English earlier."

Kurt turned his glare on the speaker. It was the tall man who had hit him in the first place. And, from the feel of Kurt's ribs, he hadn't been exactly gentle in moving him around.

"Here, let's take that ridiculous costume off you." Said the man with the collar. "You may call me Master."

Kurt still didn't say anything as 'Master' ripped off the collar and zipper. In their place he put a thick, metal collar. If Kurt could have moved, he would have tried to turn the collar and put it on 'Master' instead.

"Now. The circus called you Herr Flockig. But what's your real name?"

Kurt swallowed. He'd stopped being annoyed now. He was starting to get a little scared, instead.

A woman walked from the building, pulling on a heavy leather jacket. She looked down at him and smiled. "Who's this?"

"That's what we're trying to have him tell us, Sail." Said Master.

Sail crossed her arms and frowned. "Is that a restraint collar? He can't be old enough to have his powers yet."

"He isn't, I assume. And it's slightly different." Said Master. "Now, boy, we can't keep calling you Flockig or boy, now, can we? What is your name?"

"Fuzzy." Said Kurt. "Or Flockig. Or Brouillé."

Sail smirked and raised her fist to her mouth. "How'd you get him, Ludwig?"

The first man shrugged. "He was just sitting outside the big top." He answered. "Hit him over the head with a rock."

Master's eyes narrowed again. "Tell me your real name, boy, or I will make you."

Kurt lowered his eyes, refusing to speak.

"Fine. Sail, you wanted to know the difference, yes? This…" said Master, showing her a small remote. "Is the difference. Say ouch, Fuzzy."

He clicked down a small button and Kurt yelled. It felt like his fur was being ripped out! He dropped to his knees, screaming, and the pain stopped.

"Now. Tell me your name or I'll do it again."

"Kurti…" he panted. "Kurti Wagner."

"Kurti Kurti Wagner." Said Master, amused. "Thank you. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Sail bent down to pick him up, but he shied away. She hit him, almost absently, and yanked him up by the arm. "I'd do what you're told from here on out. I wouldn't want that again, if I were you."

#######====#######

Stacey raised her eyebrows, looking over her nails at the hall outside her cell. "Hey- Sail, sweetie! What's with the kid? You been having some extra-curricula's on the side?"

"Shut up, H." snapped Sail.

She leapt up and took hold of the bars. "He looks like the master. I was wondering how you got to the top."

Sail turned and hit the bars of the cell with a heavy baton. "I said shut up, H."

The teen stepped away, glaring. Her eyes flickered down to the boy. "A little young, isn't he?"

"Hm." Said Sail, the closest any of them would get to a sound of agreement. "We think he might be second gen. Now you keep your mouth shut or I'll put you in the chamber."

Stacey hissed, sitting back on her bunk. In the cell beside hers, StJohn watched the officer unlock the opposite cell and throw the kid inside.

She glared at him. "You looking at something, M?"

He smirked. "A pretty lady?"

"Yeah, get a good eyeful, cause tomorrow you're in the hook up."

He shrugged. "Ah, so it's Wednesday?"

She practically growled, then turned and left the row of cells. From three holes down, Remy poked his head out. "Hey, Sin! What's in the cage?"

"Yeah? Did she say that was a kid?" demanded Callie, opposite.

The block of cells had once been full of mutants of all ages, but right now the youngest, aside from their newest friend, was eleven, and only five cells were in use. Most had died, though one or two had escaped. Only the four of them remained.

StJohn rested his arms on the bars and looked out. "G'day, mate. What've they got you wrapped in, huh?"

The small figure just scooted back further into the shadows.

"I don't think that's a costume, Sinjin." Said Stacey. "He was looking right in here. Trust me."

"All I saw was blue, Stace." He said, grinning. "You ever heard of a blue kid?"

"Ever heard of a scaly slut?" she responded.

Remy laughed. "Bam! And he's out for the count!"

"Hey, leave off!" giggled StJohn. "You're probably scaring the kid. Hey, c'mon out, mate. We can't even reach you from here, how we gonna hurt ya?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that'll help."

"Have you got one of those controllers?" the kid whispered.

StJohn snorted. "If I had one of those, you think I'd be wearing the collar that comes with?"

"Then I don't have to answer you." Came the answer.

"Hm. Logic. Damn." Said Callie.

Remy chuckled. "Mon Ami, we're stuck in here, so you might as well tell us your name, non?"

"Egh, leave him alone." Callie leaned on her door and looked at him. "He's probably going straight to the boilers tomorrow anyway, so what's the point?"

"Always look on the bright side of life!" sang Stacey.

#######====#######

Kurt closed his eyes, burying his head in his arms. Where were his parents? Where was the troupe? He wasn't stupid, he knew he was weird. Maybe Stefan's stories were true. Maybe there were people out there that would want to cut him up.

Maybe these people wanted to cut him up.

He clutched at his tail and looked out from the shadows. The boy in the cage opposite was laughing, singing in English with another voice.

He had tried to talk to him. He sounded nice.

Kurt sighed. He shouldn't have been so mean to him. But he was cold, and hungry, and he KNEW he'd been kidnapped. Those were three things he didn't like. Not necessarily in that order.

He looked at him. He'd sounded really weird. Even weirder than Gareth, the sweet-maker from Britain. There had been a girl that sounded like Gareth, but angrier. And a man he sounded like Joch, but bored. The other voice that was singing was different again, but not as weird as the boy.

He had red hair, and bandages up and down his arms and around his feet.

Kurt realised he'd been watching him for quite a while. The sun was coming up through his little window. He decided maybe he would talk to this boy.

Later.

Much, much later.

#######====#######

Stacey rolled her eyes. They were bringing Remy back in. And by the sound of it, they'd put him on too much morphine again.

"I was walking in the park one day…"

She groaned. Oh no. WAY too much morphine.

The guards pushed him past her cell, but he planted his feet and looked in at her. "Stacey! You're all orange, did you know that, chere?"

"Yes, Romeo, I did."

The guards pulled him forward again and he called over his shoulder. "You should get out more, chere. Get a nice tan."

She chuckled. At least he'd stopped singing.

Half an hour later, they brought in StJohn. He was walking upright. He smiled at her as he passed, cocking his head at his inner elbow. Ah… they were taking blood again.

She bent so she could look into the last open cell. The kid's. She had decided, over the slow morning, that he had definitely had blue fur and a tail. A second generation, like they were trying to get out of Remy and herself, she remembered Sail saying.

She wondered if all second gens were visible, or whether he was just lucky.

Yup, she was definitely glad for that radiation crap she'd had.

#######====#######

"Mama and Papa found me on their doorstep."

Ludwig ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Sail hopelessly, who scowled. "Your parents are Romani. How would they have a doorstep?"

"We live in houses through winter…" he whispered.

All day, they'd asked question after useless question, replied with equally useless answers. It had taken all morning for him to start talking to them. A lot of pain, Sail reminded herself. After a while it was only natural that he'd stop thinking clearly. That was why Ludwig was there, in case he forgot his English. They'd zapped him, hit him and thrown him against walls, but he was still talking sensibly, if quietly. He was only seven, she told herself. It was no wonder he spent so much time crying. But it was getting annoying.

"So you don't know who your real parents were?"

He shook his head. "The Wagners?"

"The Wagners?" repeated Ludwig. "That's the name you know? Give us a first name."

"I do not know!" he sobbed.

"Then how do you know the last names?"

"Well, they had to get his last name from somewhere!" cried Sail, snarling. "He said that wasn't their name! He's guessing, right?"

Kurt didn't move and she stepped closer. "Yes, or no?"

He nodded, then wrapped his arms tighter around his head. He'd curled into a ball after a while, after he started crying.

"We can get DNA later." Said Sail, opening the door. She paused and looked back. "You got any special tricks we oughta know about?"

Kurt sniffed and looked up, confused. "I was never very good at magic."

She rolled her eyes. "Gypsies." She muttered, then left.

"Kommen, kind." Said Ludwig, his harsh tone dropping. "Schlaf heute abend, ja?"

Sleep? After this? Was he insane? Kurt closed his eyes as Ludwig took him by the scruff of the neck, pushing him out.

#######====#######

StJohn smiled. "Mr. Ludwig! How are you, my good man?"

Remy laughed drunkenly. "You have a good man? Why, StJohn! I never knew you were-"

"Shut it, Remy." Said Ludwig, exhausted. "I've seen better days, StJohn."

StJohn watched as the boy was directed into his cell. "Whoa. Interesting looking kid."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "How're the burns?"

"Healing." He said. "How goes the sentence?"

"Another five years and sixty days." He said. "Eat your food."

"But it's all fatty!" protested Stacey. "How am I supposed to watch my figure?"

Ludwig sighed as he passed her cell. "If you and Remy would do what you're supposed to, you could probably work it off."

"But he's so far away!" she smiled.

"I'll talk to Sail." He replied sarcastically, closing the door.

StJohn was watching the boy. He was practically inhaling the food. "You hungry over there?"

The boy nodded.

"Want mine? I'm not hungry, myself." He said, taking a sausage from the plate.

The boy looked up carefully. StJohn smiled and put the cover back over his plate, then eased it sideways through the bars. He lay down, pushing the container across the aisle. It stopped about two feet away. He frowned; knowing the smaller boy could never reach it. "Sorry."

The kid grinned and turned his back on bars, leaning back on them. StJohn's eyes widened and he smiled as a thin little tail whipped out, took hold of the lid's handle, and dragged it the rest of the way.

He laughed. "Cool trick, kid."

The boy bit his lip, holding the container gently. "I am Kurti."

StJohn smiled. "That's your name?"

"Yes. Kurti."

Stacey had slipped onto the floor by the bars; she and StJohn were only separated by the wall. "I'm Stacey."

"And I'm StJohn." He said. "The cell down there has Remy, but he's not very healthy tonight. Opposite him is Callie, but she's not very nice."

Kurt almost smiled. "How long have you been here?"

"Six months?" he said.

Stacey shrugged. "A year."

Kurt swallowed hard. "Maybe… maybe my troupe will find us."

Stacey smiled, glad Callie was asleep. "You have a troupe?"

"Yes. My circus. Maybe they will find us and save us."

StJohn licked his lips. "I hope so."

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ventile turned off the tape, rubbing his eyes. Stacey, StJohn, Remy and Callie. Kurt couldn't remember much but their names. "They came back black and blue so often that it was usually better to not look at them. Kurt didn't try to remember their faces, but who they were. Faces can change, Mr. Ventile. People change. Souls don't. That's what Kurt remembered."

That was what Ventile was going to put as the foreword. He'd decided. It was honest. And something to grab your attention.

He looked at his pad. He hadn't written as many notes as last night. But he wasn't ready to listen to it again.

He set pen and paper aside and stood up, looking at the tape recorder like it was to blame. He closed his eyes and sighed, then turned and walked from the room. He needed to hug his nephew.

#######====##############====##############====#######

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Okay… here's the question I would like you guys to answer for me. In I Always Do, I would have like a page of review replies, which I liked to do, but I have the idea that it kinda distracted or something. So. Would, or would you not, like me to reply to all the reviews? Your choice! I'm counting votes!


	3. Clapping

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Hello, and welcome to Chapter… whatever… of… some weird arse titled story. My name is Dyonne. Lee's in the middle of a nervous breakdown right now and as such, cannot come to the computer, please leave a message, and try again!

Nah, just kidding. On the… message… part. I am Dyonne. Lee is in the middle of a nervous, but not a break down. She's currently insane, actually, singing Nikki Webster and doing study she should've done a week ago.

But! She wrote this last night, didn't post it coz she hadn't done the reviews, and now that I'm here again, I get to do them! How cool is that? She's actually letting me near her account again!

See you after the story…

#######====#######

****

DISCLAIMER: _Fairytale stoles_! Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, her clothes all tattered and worn. But it wasn't a spider that crept up beside her but Little Boy Blue and his… horn.

#######====#######

Rogue shook her head, refusing to smile.

"Oh, come on, it's easy. Dum da dum, da da dum dum, ctch ctch!" Kurt grinned, holding up his hands. "Come on! If I can learn to click these fingers, you can play a simple beat."

She crossed her arms, glaring. Why was it that everyone but the one whose family was farthest away had gone home already? The one time of year she got more than a week alone with Scott and her little brother had to hang around.

He glanced up at Scott, lying back on a couch across the room, reading. He grinned again and teleported. "Scott!" he cried, appearing on the armrest by Scott's head. "You'll help me annoy Rogue, won't you?"

"No." said Scott, not even looking away from his page.

"She refuses to have fun." Stated Kurt. "You have to help me."

"No."

"Why not?" he whined.

Scott finally put his book down on his chest and looked up at Kurt. "You taught me that beat. It took you half an hour, and now it's one of my worst habits."

"How so?"

"Whenever I get bored, I start tapping my hands on my knees. I'm not subjecting anyone else to that."

Kurt scowled. "Is that a bad thing? At least you don't do that click slap thingy anymore."

Scott raised one eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be packing?"

"Uh… no." Kurt suddenly looked slightly uncomfortable, and Rogue frowned, noticing the look. "I'm… not going home… this summer. It's a bad time."

They looked at him. "Kurt, I've heard your calls home. There's no such thing as a bad time with your parents." Said Scott.

"Yeah. They're always telling you to take some time off to go home." Added Rogue.

Kurt cleared his throat. "If you must know… derjahrkmartisintown."

"What?" asked Scott.

Rogue bit her lip. "The circus?"

"Ja." he coughed. "First time in a while, so um, ja."

Scott's jaw had started working slightly. Rogue could almost hear the call to Jean now. 'Those bastards keep him scared… It wasn't even his fault, but no, no one will listen… if it were up to me…' She smirked, then looked back at Kurt, who was quickly regaining his composure.

"So yes." He spread his hands. "I get to stay here and annoy you 'too good for the real world'ers. I could go and bug Jubes, or Rahne, or Bobby, but I don't really want mirrors all over my ceiling again."

"What makes you think we won't glue something to your precious walls?"

Scott chuckled. "Yeah. Or we could do something to your shampoo."

Kurt's mock-glare snapped to him. "Do and die, Herr Summers. Or I could take a couple of Ruby reds from your room, nein?" He stood up, stretching out his muscles. "I'll continue this argument later. I hear my beloved calling me."

"Who's your beloved these days?" asked Scott as he started toward the door.

"The fridge, who else?" He grinned, then teleported.

Rogue sighed and looked at Scott. "I thought he was just staying home until a flight came in."

He grimaced silently.

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

It didn't take long to get the handle on what Callie called 'the farmcell'. Usually, Ludwig and Sail would come in in the morning, take at least one of them and 'escort' them to another room.

Sometimes the room would have scientific measuring equipment. Kurt often found himself in a glass room filled with exercise equipment. After he had played for a few hours, they would take him out again and give him a medical. If he refused to play, he wasn't allowed to eat and they still gave him the medical. Sometimes he would be knocked unconscious and wake up, apparently days later, in StJohn or Callie's cells, while they looked after him.

He hated the medical sessions. A white room, with stainless steel everything, except a mirror along one wall. There was something funny about the mirror. He didn't really like it, for reasons he wasn't sure of. It just… felt wrong. He would be poked, prodded, squeezed and stretched. They shone funny lights in his eyes, shaved off sections of fur, took small vials of hair, fur, skin and blood.

That same doctor, always, that gave him those bad smiles, and had grabby hands when it came to the samples.

He fought back once, scratching, kicking and biting. A large man came in with the master, and he couldn't remember anything else until he woke up in StJohn's cell again.

"That was stupid, mate." He informed him.

"Danke." Groaned Kurt.

StJohn giggled. "Well, at least you're not blue any more."

"Was?" Kurt struggled to sit up. "What do you mean?" He looked down at himself. "I'm still blue."

"Your face isn't." he said, pointing. "You're black with bruises!" he giggled again.

It was an incredibly bad habit of his to laugh at the worst times. Callie was of the opinion, and Remy was close to agreeing, that he was slowly losing his mind. He'd been subjected to a lot of tests of power, his fire wielding skills being forced against his will, which was ruining his mutant strength, and, it seemed, his psyche.

Or, Stacey reasoned, he could have just been an Australian with a warped sense of humour.

Kurt sighed and leaned back against the pillow. He'd been here almost two months, and nothing. No troupe, no nothing. But it had only been two months. They'd be coming. After all, the trip from the circus had taken hours. Maybe they just couldn't find it yet. They wouldn't just give up on him!

StJohn leaned against the wall by Kurt's feet. "I think our dear lord and master left this morning. That's a good thing."

"Ja?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "It means we get left alone for a while."

Kurt looked at him. "Why?"

"Ludwig's only in this operation because he has to be. Sail's got weird interests, but she's not into the whole testing bit. Nope. It's just the bugger in charge. When he isn't here, we get left to ourselves pretty much. Well, except Remy and Stace."

"Why?"

He chuckled. "I'll tell you when you're older."

"No, you can't!" said Kurt, sitting up and wincing at the movement. "Because we won't know each other in a few weeks. We'll be free and going home!"

He smiled. "Oh yeah, I keep forgetting your circus."

"How could you forget the circus?" he cried, indignant. "The circus is the most wonderful place there is! You forget all your troubles in the circus. There are no troubles in der jarkmart…" he murmured, his eyes forcing themselves closed.

"Sounds like a show called Cabaret I once saw…" called Callie, from her cell.

"So tell me…" he added.

"If he does it'll sound exactly like Cabaret I once saw."

StJohn rolled his eyes. "No way, Kurti. Not until Stacey gets back, anyway."

#######====#######

Remy kissed her neck gently. "Sorry, chere."

Stacey shouldered him away, smiling. "I don't REALLY mind."

"Of course you don't mind." He grinned and pulled her closer against him. "Who would?"

She snorted. "I've had better."

He laughed as well. "Remy believe that when he see it."

She turned her head and kissed him, her tongue licking his closed lips hungrily. She frowned when he didn't respond and pulled her head back to look at him. "What?"

He sighed. "Is nothing."

"Nothing? What is it?"

"You ever… Remy just getting annoyed with the audience." He growled, pointing at the mirrored wall.

She scowled at it. "I know. Me too. So what was with the great performance?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're telling Remy you ain't like that when you ain't frustrated?" he chuckled. "But, chere, well…"

She ran her finger down his cheek softly. "I know, I know. You aren't a performing monkey."

He smirked. "Not a monkey, anyway."

"The other I can testify you are." She added, kissing him again. She took his hands and set them on her hips. "So… why… don't we… give… a show… to remember?" she said when they broke apart.

"And the problem?"

"If it isn't a problem, I'll MAKE the solution go away." She said firmly.

He looked at her seriously until she started sucking on his Adam's apple. "Ohh… come on now…"

"Let me guess… that ain't fair?" she grinned, turning completely around.

#######====#######

StJohn stood up and leaned against the bars. "And the honeymoon is over?" he grinned as Ludwig and Remy passed his cell.

"Well, we'll see." Said Sail, opening Stacey's door. "You know what we want, H. If you're planning on making good on that threat…"

Stacey smiled cruelly at her. "I don't see you volunteering your body up for the challenge."

The woman returned the smile. "You might not see it." She walked to StJohn's cell and met his glaring gaze. He folded his arms, watching her semi-calmly.

Remy settled back on his bed quietly. He was emotionally exhausted. He always was after the monthly ritual. It went against more than a few of his morals, and several beliefs, but as Ludwig said, in whatever small portion, it was a win win situation, right?

Sail's eyes flickered to the sleeping Kurt. The smile widened slightly. "I'll be seeing you all next month. Take care of him, now, M. And we might be able to discuss your sentence."

StJohn's eyes narrowed. "In your dreams, bitch."

"He's twelve years old! Sail!" snapped Ludwig.

She turned her icy glare on him. "What did you just say?"

"I said…"

"How dare you suggest such a thing." She hissed, then turned on her heel and left. Ludwig glanced at StJohn, who was swallowing hard, then followed her silently.

#######====#######

After a while, Kurt stopped paying attention to time. Remy told him it had been months upon months since he came, and that was enough. He was so tired, so hurt. He didn't care anymore. He couldn't understand how the others just continued as if their lives were normal. He didn't understand how they could joke. He only understood Callie, who was as silent as he. She spent her time either brooding or telling the others to stop joking. When the master came back, the experiments started again, and he didn't care anymore.

It just hurt so much.

So when they started changing the routines a little, he didn't care. He was eight years old, and he felt older than his own father. He told himself stories to put himself to sleep, the same as Stefan used to do. But these weren't ghost stories, or Romani tales. They were just stories of every day life. A life, he began to realise, that he wasn't getting back.

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Same sort of story every night. While StJohn sang himself to sleep, and Remy spoke to Stacey, and Callie listened, he whispered into the darkness. 'There was one time, millennia ago, that I sat alone by the fire, considering my life…'… Language of the old stories, of course. He made them fairy tales. He didn't think he'd see it again. And, really, life never was the same as it used to be, you know. But that's neither here nor there. The real thing is what happened eleven months after he first came to the Farmcell. The first time they put him in the white room. Now that, Mister Ventile, is hell on earth!"

Ventile turned off the tape, disgusted with himself. He had barely taken any notes this time. He felt like he was just listening to listen these days. Which didn't make sense. It wasn't a very original story. It was ridiculous. No one would ever do something like that. It was a horror movie, twisted to imitate reality.

He flung his pen across the room and glared around himself. His eyes slowly returned to the tape recorder.

He pulled his jacket closer about him and picked it up, watching it. "Just a story." He murmured, then took it out of the room.

#######====##############====##############====#######

__

Um… Lee wanted me to say something here. But I forget what. It had something to do with the Stefan guy… or Remy… or something… It had something to do with one of the guys, anyway.

Hello Sawdust Monster. I remember you! Do you remember me? Anyway. Lee said thanks for the suggestion, she thought about making a whole new story for reviews, but like I said, that's a little stupid, wouldn't you say?

Miss Lucifer- COOL name! I know a song to do with 'Miss Lucifer'. You have a note here too… thanks about Ventile. He's becoming one of my favourites too. I'm not going to update too much, coz I'm not. Yeah, Lee, good work. Real eloquent.

Akaluk- I remember you too! Your note- Heh heh heh. She's working well on words today, isn't she?

Erin- She says thanks, but talking to me, she's getting annoyed with all the angst she's doing lately. She keeps complaining to me about the fact she wants to write a comedy fic. Now guys, I'm asking a favour here, tell her to stop bitching. The shakepeare stories were funny, weren't they? She won't believe me. Probably because while she was writing them I was bagging them all, but what's that got to do with anything?

Arachnaphiliac- You. I want words with you. What the hell is wrong with you, spider woman? You've got her laughing at the most inane things, and sometimes she stops in the middle of conversations and starts laughing at something I said, and she won't tell me why. And she's talking about some weird xeroxed monkeys. How the hell do you xerox monkeys? And why are they flying and most importantly, why does she suddenly keep saying "Down under"? I'm pretty sure doing something to her and I want to know what so I can do it too. Alright? And you have a note here. Ventile's free and single and no, you can't marry him because he's not real. Um… ooooo kay.

Neko-chan. I read your email. You are insane. Just so you know. You're even more so for reading and reviewing that many chapters. Okay? But I've been reading your story and I like it. Lotsa Kitty. Kitty's cool. Lee's note says that she thinks the poster thing might have actually been from your story, she can't remember… And Bad Days is far from over, my dear nut case. At least two more chapters. Apparently.

Chris- Lee's giggly happy about all your praise. She thinks you're sweet. Weird, but sweet. She thinks you're a nutcase for worshipping her and all that, but she loves you anyway. I, however, think you should be locked away for a very, very long time. However, I agree with you on the Kitty bit and the smut she should go into. We were thinking about writing a total smut fest for the Kietro thing, but this web site doesn't like it. But you might get that chapter in an email. Maybe. If I can annoy her into writing it. Hey, I got She Could've written, didn't I?

Key- You're cool, you know that? You're always THERE! If I had a life, I would've given up reading all this long ago, but it's currently the height of my study free days. Um… note… short chapters, sorry, I am Nights-less. Apparently this means she's got no inspiration these days. But she's currently drinking coke, so take it all with a pinch of salt.

Chameleon, if you're reading, apparently. You are here, I remember your name. Okay. Thanks for reading, I can't believe it when people get to the end and I haven't heard of them before! It's amazing, so flattering. So yeah, you're cool. (Hands up who thinks Lee thinks you're all cool?) Yeah, I know I can be really foggy (What thuh?), but that's my style. I can't help it. Sorry. If you've got any questions, go ahead and ask em. More than likely they'll be explained in upcoming stories, or whatever.

Leviathan- By any chance, are you Australian and live with lee's sister? And you're in the same boat as Chris. Go read his reply, I thin you're mad.

Cheesy Monkey- Hey! I read your email, too! You're weird.

Min-kat. You, I don't remember. But Lee says 'Thanks! I'm glad people don't mind the replies, I don't like the stories where I don't reply so much…'. No kidding. She was complaining all through her Physics notes about not having time to do these. Annoying. So bloody annoying.

Helena- Lee says 'Yes! I live! I'm not dead! Just overly, overly busy.'

Kiki- AHHH! Kiki! You never update your page! But I'm getting her to print out your pictures and I've read up on Decisions, and I'm happy adkn Sorry, Kiki, Dyonne has to go take some calm-pills now. I keep telling you she's obsessed. It's really very disturbing. Um… your question about Callie? Think about her name… you're not supposed to guess this, because it doesn't really matter coz I don't know a thing about her, but lengthen the name and give her an eyepatch. Following yet? Going!

Arayah- I downloaded them from Kazah, but it's evil. Or, actually, my program is evil coz it won't show ther k.e Lee is working. Isn't she? Good girl. Anyway. She got it from a program from Kazah, I think.

Fragglerox- I don't watch evo, I have no idea who or what morlocks are. Lee says she's not sure, but according to profiles (what profiles, is my question), Morlocks are mutants that live underground, acting like terrorists or something. Sound sgood to me. Explains why Evan joined, anyway.

Ryu-Sama. Are you one or two people? I don't get it. And, by the way, it's your fault Remy's in this story, so there. You have a note, sorta. Lee says lots of hugs and comfort. Also, you need cyber cake. Okay, that's disturbing.

That's all! I think this is the last time you'll hear from me in a while. I'll give you to Lee for a second again.

__

Hey guys. I'm really sorry about such a bad start to the review replies, but like she's been totally forcing me to work. She stole Cathy's whip prop and keeps hitting me with it if I look over her shoulder. Cow. Anyway. I hope she answered all your questions. I'll be back next chapter. Promise! Luv ya all, LeDiz.


	4. Splash

****

DISCLAIMER: Mary had a Little Lamb, her father shot it in the head _(OMG!)_, now it comes to school with her between two bits of bread. _(Uh… anyone else disturbed by this joke?)_

#######====#######

Kurt was in his reading room today. Probably lounged over the armchair, his tail twisted around one of his bars behind it, reading the thick, leather bound book that no one knew he kept.

No one apart from Scott, Rogue, the professor and Ororo, anyway.

So Rogue wasn't surprised to find the pool devoid of fuzzy elves while everyone else was splashing each other.

Even Beast was out, and he hated to swim, because his fur came loose. The professor and Logan were there too, watching Ororo float lazily around the shallow end. Rogue and Scott were in the middle of a very serious war, the only game they could play without touching or using balls.

Sunday was just one of those days that no one could be bothered thinking, which was unfortunate, because Kurt was in a melancholy mood. He'd woken up that morning still tired, and only ate because Scott glared at him until he did. He had stared out the window for almost an hour, then just disappeared into the reading room without a word.

Scott finally surrendered, laughing and held his hands up. "Mercy! Mercy!"

"What's that? Merci? Thank you? Why, Scott, if you wanted more…" she grinned, but Scott just held onto the side of the pool and kicked water at her until she shrieked. "I give up! Okay! No more!"

She laughed, and Scott smiled proudly. He loved seeing Rogue so happy. It was so rare, but when it did come out, Rogue's laugh was really very nice. She would never show her sense of humour when everyone was home, like they'd think she was going soft of something.

Usually it was only Kurt that could make her laugh, but he'd been doing a pretty good job, had Scott. He'd even gotten her to lose the makeup for once, today, and when he told her how much good she looked, she fallen into a fit of giggles to rival Kitty.

He looked up at the mansion, his smile fading. Kurt had been quiet all week. What made it worse was that they all knew why, and there was nothing they could do. He sighed, then looked at Rogue, picking the white hair from her face. "You in the mood for tennis?"

"What?" she asked flatly, staring at him.

"Tennis. It'll dry us off."

"I don't play tennis."

"Well, I can teach you. Come on!" He pulled himself from the pool and started trotting toward the house. "You put on some shoes and I'll get the rackets!"

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

StJohn was pacing his cell, and Remy, who could just see into the corner, was getting annoyed, watching him appear, then disappear, and then appear again. "PLEASE stop that."

"I can't. I can't…" He kept going. "I can't sit still. I can't stop moving. I'm shaking. I can't stop…"

"I'm sure Kurti's fine, Sinjin." Said Stacey, examining her nails for the third time that day.

He shook his head, tapping the wall as he passed it. "It's not Kurti. I just can't stop. It hurts, it hurts." He jumped up and down. "It feels like I've been pumped full of energy I can't use."

"Maybe you have." Said Callie, hard.

Remy rolled his eyes. "That isn't even possible."

"They haven't come near me in weeks." He said. "They wouldn't have had time. I haven't gotten anything from them but food for the last month."

"Have you ever thought about what we're eating?" she replied.

"It's best not to. Turns the stomach." Said Stacey.

StJohn scratched his head, then his shoulder, then his ankle. "I'm so bored. I need to do something. I need to move. I need to do something…"

Callie looked over at Remy, and he frowned. "They wouldn't have done something," she conceded. "If they were just going to leave you there."

"That doesn't help while I feel like my bones are going to jump out of my skin." He told her, sat down, then jumped up again to pace.

The thick, metal door down the hall opened and they all fell silent, waiting. Ludwig was lightly pushing on Kurt's head, guiding him toward his cell. Kurt looked like he always did these days, blank, uncaring.

It had been over ten months, Kurt had given up hope. But unlike Stacey, Remy and StJohn, Kurt wasn't bouncing back into random insanity. He was becoming as bleak as Callie.

Ludwig continued down the hall after he locked Kurt in. He looked into Callie's cage, letting her glare back at him. "Hello."

She blinked at him, slowly. "Guten tag, herr Ludwig."

"English, D." he said. "Just a heads up. You're up for questioning again tomorrow."

She closed her eyes. "I've been here for longer than I can count, Ludwig. I don't remember anything."

"I know that, Sail knows that, everyone here knows that, but we have a sponsor coming and he wants to talk to you, understand?" he yelled. The younger mutants stared as well as they could at him. "Make something up! Show your power! Don't do this ridiculous 'surly' game! Do you understand?!"

She looked at him silently, then sauntered to the bars, glaring at him. "My powers are my powers. My secrets are my secrets. You are not getting anything more than you have from me."

They glared in silence for several moments. Then Ludwig shook his head. "I'm sorry, Callie. I can't make you say anything, but I can tell you. I can beg you. Please. Tell him something we can't. If not for me, if not for you, then do it for these." He subtly jerked his head at the other cells. "Tell them something, Callie."

He turned, and walked to StJohn's door, unlocked it, and held out a pair of handcuffs. "Come on."

#######====#######

They were taking him somewhere different today. He'd never been down this corridor before.

Sail grinned, shoving him through a door. "Enjoy, Kurti, Kurti Wagner."

He gazed at her. "What? What do you-"

She blinked. "Did you just ask me something, Kurti Kurti Wagner?"

"No, frau." He said.

"Fraulein." She snapped. "And tell me what your question was."

Kurt looked to the side. "What is this place?"

She waved at the white walls. "Your new home." She said, then closed the door.

He blinked, wincing slightly at the bright light, then looked around. It was completely white, no corners, no windows, the door was barely there. It was a bright, white room, even brighter in one square in the roof.

Kurt scratched his head. "{Now what?}"

#######====#######

Kurt sat at the very bottom of the room, looking lazily up at the light, singing in Romany. "{I have thirty songs and a hundred tales, but nothing so sweet sounding as you. I have thirty flowers, and a hundred jewels, but nothing as beautiful as you. With only a sun and a moon to compare, I have nothing to call your looks. You are only you, and within you I see, the most wonderful you you are.}"

He raised his hands and looked at them. He was so bored.

It wouldn't be so bad if he was panicky. If there was something he was worried about. But he didn't care much about anything anymore. His circus wasn't coming. His parents had forgotten him. No one cared enough to look for him. Well, Stefan was probably upset, he would have no one to be mean to anymore. And Jimaine wouldn't be impressed, because now she had no one to learn spells with.

He chuckled, remembering the time she had managed a spell on him, making him become obsessed with sponges. He still liked them, liked to play with them. But at the time, he'd wanted to fill his bedroom with them, and his trailer after Winter. It had taken weeks for Margali to do the counter spell.

That memory didn't seem so real anymore. Maybe he'd only dreamed it.

What was real was the time Stefan had told him about the lake monster near Wendleford. The monster has dripping green scales, and long, bloody fangs with pieces of little monsters hanging from them, and glowing red eyes, with claws and horns. The Wendleford lake monster liked to eat interesting things. It didn't like normal little children, they didn't taste any good. What it did like was funny coloured people. And tailed creatures. And those without proper parents. In short, they liked to eat Kurtis.

Kurt had crossed his arms and glared. "I do have proper parents!" he complained. "This isn't a very good scary story, Stefan."

"You don't have proper parents!" said Stefan. "You've got Astrid and Johannes! They just found you! Astrid didn't take you from her tummy, did she?"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"Yes it does." Said Stefan, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because it's not possible for your parents to love you as much, you're not too sweet, you see? It's really very obvious, Kurti. See, you aren't a part of Astrid, like I am to Mama. As soon as you come out of your Mama's tummy, then you're a part of someone. You came out of a river."

Kurt closed his eyes, blinking back the tears the memory always brought. He had gone crying to Astrid and Johannes, and they told him Stefan couldn't be more wrong, but he always managed to forget that part.

He opened his eyes, hoping to find something to distract him. But there was nothing. Just white.

He frowned. Maybe it wasn't all white. Maybe in actuality, there were heaps and heaps of colours all around, and it was just him…

#######====#######

It was two days before they saw Kurt again. When he came back, he was grinning. Stacey stared. "You alright there, Kurti?"

His head snapped around, under the guard's arm. "Stacey! Stacey Stacey Stacey!"

"Yeah. Kurt?"

"Kurti Wagner, Kurti Kurti Wagner!" he cackled. He grinned at StJohn. "You have red hair!"

He blinked, hard. "Yes…"

"Red's a nice colour. Colour is a nicer colour." He said, his eyes moving every which way.

Remy sighed, closing his eyes. "Something tells Remy that Kurti's discovered the wonders of the white room."

Stacey furrowed her brow. "The what?"

"The med labs?" suggested StJohn. "But he's been there hundreds of times."

"No, the white rooms." Said Callie softly. "I didn't think they were still being used. Sensory deprivation rooms. Nothing but white for a full day. No corners, windows, no walls. Just a round room with a flat ceiling. As soon as you're out, you start loving everything that isn't white or silent."

"CALLIE!" Kurt laughed. "You have been to the white room too!"

Sail had followed them in, cringing. "Hyperactive freak." She muttered, walking past the wrestling guards. Kurt was doing everything possible to look into the other cells. She stopped between Callie and Remy's cells. "You should be in for one hell of a night…"

Remy glared. "I wonder whose fault that is."

She smirked, then turned to Callie. "That was stupid, what you've been doing the last two days."

"Spitting in the blonde freak's face?" she asked pleasantly.

She nodded. "You should have answered his questions."

"I'm sure he'll live." She said flatly.

"I'm sure HE will." Said Sail. She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. "I'm sure he will."

Remy looked past the woman's leather jacket and frowned at Callie. She shook her hair back. "I can handle anything you throw at me, girlie."

Sail smirked, and walked to the door. "I believe you, Mutant D."

#######====#######

Kurt tugged on Stacey's dress. "Is this normal?"

She shook her head quietly. "No."

They, StJohn and Remy were all crowded into a small cage in the middle of a field of mud. Callie was chained by one wrist to a pike a few metres away. They were all staring at the scientists, who were talking on a metal platform behind a wall of bars.

"Has this ever happened before?" he asked Remy.

"No, homme." He said softly. "You aren't the only one who don't know what's going on, for once."

Kurt leaned forward onto the bars. "Callie?"

She waved him off absently.

A tall man walked out of the cluster of scientists, holding a rifle with a spike tied on top. "Mutant D." he began, formally. "Will you answer the questions put to you and demonstrate your powers?"

She spat at his feet. "How about no."

He grinned maliciously. "Fine with me."

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The tape stopped suddenly, startling Ventile from his reverie. Damn. Now he had to go find the tape that had automatically started after that one.

He looked up at the clock. It was almost one in the morning.

Funny. He didn't feel tired, just annoyed with himself.

His notebook lay to the side, untouched, but that wasn't what he was annoyed with. He just wanted more time to hear this story. It had become an obsession, listening to more every night, and tonight he had listened to all of the tape.

He sighed and stood up, moving to the study to search for the next tape.

#######====##############====##############====#######

Hey'all! That's right, I'm back! Dyonne spent the entire night looking across the internet, and is sleeping, so I get to say hi to everyone instead of reading Macbeth! Feel proud!

****

REVIEWS!

Ryu-Sama! =lots of hugs= I hear that Dyonne wasn't very nice to Max, even ignoring him, or passing him off as schitzophrenia. I think that's very funny, because someone originally thought SHE was a version of schitzophrenia! Yup! If you hadn't put Remy in your story, I wouldn't have put him in mine! Oh, well, kinda. I was gonna put marvel characters in the farmcell, but I couldn't decide who, aside from Stacey, who I've fallen in love with through a fanfiction story on another site. And when you put Remy in your story, I thought he deserved to be tortured, too. I'm not having a huge problem with angst, it's just that I'm getting annoyed with myself because it's all I can write, you know?

CHRISSIE! YAAAAAAY! Sorry. I don't know why it's so cool to hear from you sometimes. No, my long weekend was last weekend. My queen's birthday was your labour day, I think. Egh. I have a Drama exam tomorrow, ain't life grand? Sigh. Oh well. I put StJohn in coz I heard about how they're making a total Steve Irwin out of Pyro in Evo, and I think that's funny. He just deserved to be used, yes?

Chris! Dyonne isn't a voice in my head, she's real! Hee hee. That's really very funny. And by the bye, this is from a while ago, but I can so apologise to my worshipper! I'm allowed to think I'm pathetic, aren't I? And I don't want you locked up, and I don't think Dyonne really wants you locked up either. I think she was just trying to make fun of me. Kitty smut… well… maybe… like I've said, Kietro's taking its sweet time working, so yeah. But I promise, if there's a smut chapter, you will get it! And I am not the perfect woman.

Kiki- of course his beloved is the fridge! Well, that could be a little wrong, couldn't it? And yes, I did need to put in the Aussie comment. What can I say? Australians deserve to be locked away in an asylum, don't we? Yes, you are very clever… Oh, and Dy was complaining last night. Yes, your site's updated, but she can't enlarge the pictures. The thumbnails won't open up, or something, I haven't checked it out yet, and she was rambling, I didn't really understand…

Oh, and the title means Glass Memories, or something. Babelfish, you know? I can't even pronounce it, so it's kinda a stupid title…

Hey Raven Fayth! Thanks!

Starlight- hey, how's it going? Good to know it's not overly confusing for people who haven't read IAD. Um, Ventile is the school counsellor, and this story is a spin off to IAD, which was (now that I'm done I can pretend I was intending this all along) about this dark side of Kurt. At one point, the dark side (Ged or Loke, for future reference) sat there telling good ol' Ventile all the bad stuff that this story entails. That's who's on the tape. So technically, it's Kurt, but… not… hmm.

Okay guys! See ya and bye bye!

Luv, LeDiz


	5. Bounty Hunter notes

DISCLAIMER: Question, are the fairy tales working, Harry, or do you want longer and slightly more joke-jokes? Anyway. Simple Simon met a pie man going to the fair. Said Simple Simon to the Pie man 'What have you got there?' Said the Pie man unto Simon "Pies, you dickhead!"  
  
#########====########  
  
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You have got to be kidding."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"But it's a fairy tale!"  
  
"All fairy tales are based on fact, Kurt, you told me that."  
  
"That's entirely beside the point. That is not in a book."  
  
Rogue grinned and leaned down. When she came back up, she had pulled a large paperback from under the couch. "Check it out. Goldilocks and the three bears: the true story."  
  
Kurt flipped through the pages until he reached the story, and scanned several lines, his hologram going paler by the minute.  
  
She cackled. "I toldya!"  
  
"This is so very, very wrong." He croaked. "Goldilocks- oh mein Gott!" He covered his mouth, his eyes wide. "Verdamnt!"  
  
She grinned even wider. "And so it continues for several, several, SEVERAL chapters as she deals with this trauma and eventually moves on."  
  
"That is disgusting." He said, flicking back a chapter to the beginning. "Do they have Little Red Riding hood?"  
  
"And Cinderella, and the Three Little Pigs and... I think... I think Hansel and Gretal."  
  
He shook his head. "Verdamnt..." he murmured. "And I thought I was sick and twisted."  
  
#########====########  
  
Antoinette narrowed her eyes, glaring at the brightly coloured tent and surrounding stalls. Even from here she could see the magic hut, where a blonde girl was turning water to wine and back again.  
  
Jimaine Szardos.  
  
Antinonette's eyes rolled away from the circus to the small house on the hill, dark and empty. Like it had been for three years. She rebuckled her belt and swung to her feet, starting along the path toward it.  
  
Most of the village was in the circus, greeting old friends that had been away far too long. She knew one house that would be closed against the circus, for fear of the anger the circus held for it. She sneered as she passed the church square.  
  
No one in the circus truly believed what they were told. The very idea that Kurt Wagner had murdered... was it nineteen? Twenty people? It was ridiculous! But the closest thing he had to a sister swore it was true. Swore that she had seen it in her magic visions.  
  
Then they remembered how odd Kurt had been all those years ago, and suddenly it was gospel truth. His adoptive parents took him from the circus after the staking, and nothing was ever said on it again. But should Jimaine, a sweeter, more beautiful girl you'd never seen, if she ever came face to face with Kurt Wagner or his adopters, there was very little doubt that she would kill them.  
  
No one else held this grudge, Antoinette knew. They just wanted answers, really. In truth, more people probably suspected what had really happened, but no one would ever suggest it aside from a drunken ramble.  
  
It didn't take her long to reach her destination. An hour, at most. It was a large village, but not so large that you needed any sort of transport aside from horseback. She looked up at the crumbling building and sighed. Climbing was definitely out of the question.  
  
She tried the door, on the off chance that they had already returned to check things out. They hadn't, and the door was still locked. She rolled her eyes and started going through her pouches in search of a suitable pick.  
  
Five minutes later she was inside, half way up the stairs.  
  
The inside was as dusty as the outside, the dust thick and heavy, the doors creaking. It was all very dramatic. But Antoinette just held her head high like it was common day to march through the houses and possessions of a dead boy.  
  
Had she been superstitious, she would have wondered if he was that odd feeling she got on her shoulders when she stopped.  
  
She cracked open the second bedroom and looked around. Yes, this had definitely been his room. Every other year the circus stayed in this village for half of winter, before moving onto to spend the rest in Winzeldorf. So five houses had been built for the circus's use. This was the house of the magicians, and this was the room of Stefan Szardos.  
  
It had taken her almost two months to get the courage to come here.  
  
Two months.  
  
She chuckled at her own admission and knelt down in front of the chest. It was the only place that could hold anything, even clothing.  
  
She rifled through it for several minutes before finding what she was searching for. She smiled grimly as she removed a wooden box, like a wide jewelry case. She eased it open and frowned. She picked up a small silver collar, thick at one point, and strangely terrifying to her fingers. She put it aside, almost threw it. Beneath it had been what she was really looking for.  
  
Years ago, just before she had moved on to Berlin, she had gone to see the little mutant devil. He had been recovering from severe burns, and when she'd seen him, he'd been clutching a thick set of blood stained papers. He said he hadn't wanted to write them. That's all he said about them.  
  
She ran her hands over the first sheet, without reading the originally neat writing. Two months ago she had remet the boy, and it had taken her that long to have the courage to start looking for the papers.  
  
///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  
  
"Mutant D." he began, formally. "Will you answer the questions put to you and demonstrate your powers?"  
  
She spat at his feet. "How about no."  
  
He grinned maliciously. "Fine with me."  
  
Kurt carefully wrapped his hands around the bars, gazing silently as Callie tensed, gripping the chain that held her arm tightly. The tall man raised his weapon to the scientists, then looked back at her.  
  
Quicker than the others could see, he threw the gun against her head, leaving her to fall and roll on the ground.  
  
"CALLIE!" yelled Kurt, reaching out.  
  
Remy pulled him back, his face hard. "No, Kurti!" He knelt down and forcefully turned Kurt into his shoulder. "Stay quiet."  
  
Callie pushed herself up, chest heaving, blood and mud combining to run down from her brow. She flipped over to look up at him.  
  
"Mutant D." he repeated. "Will you answer the questions put to you and demonstrate your powers?"  
  
"Go to Hell." She growled.  
  
His steel-capped toe swung toward her, but she pushed herself off the ground, missing by inches. She turned to punch, but his fist connected with her shoulder first, throwing her down again. This time she didn't have time to move before the boot rammed into her stomach.  
  
Stacey closed her eyes, shutting her eyes tight. "No. No, no, no."  
  
"They've never..." whispered StJohn hoarsely, gently touching the bars. "They would never..."  
  
"Mutant D." the fighter began again, his voice becoming slightly annoyed. "Will you answer the questions put to you and demonstrate your powers?"  
  
Callie coughed and staggered to her feet, then fell sideways a few paces. The chain caught her wrist and she overbalanced, sitting hard in the mud. She peered up at him blearily.  
  
"Mutant D. Will you an-"  
  
"Fuck you!" She snapped, throwing a handful of mud at his chest.  
  
He snarled and swung the rifle again. The sharp knife connected with her face and she screamed.  
  
"CALLIE!" yelled Stacey. She threw herself at the bars. "Callie! Are you-? What happened? Callie!"  
  
"No! Kurti, don't!" cried Remy, holding a struggling Kurt.  
  
He was twisting in the Cajun's grip, pulling himself away, pushing against his chest. "Callie! Callie!"  
  
StJohn had backed up against the back of the cage, his eyes wide, silently screaming in tune with Callie.  
  
"Callie! It's not worth it! Please!" sobbed Stacey, ignoring the pull on her scales. She eased down to her knees, crying. "Please, just show them! Callie!"  
  
Callie sobbed, holding her face. The pain was unbearable, she couldn't see through the blood and besides, it felt like her entire eye had fallen out. She tried to see through the other one, but it was a blur of blood, pain and tears. A dark shape towered over her, and once again something hit her stomach, but this time, she couldn't move. Her unhurt eye widened. She felt like she was being squeezed into a tiny ball. She screamed again, until steel connected with her temple, and she dropped.  
  
#########====########  
  
The white room was something Kurt was hating more every second. He bounced off the walls, literally, and tried beating through everything. He'd found the hidden camera but couldn't reach it to destroy. So he continued hitting the walls and floor. He sobbed and screamed, but no one came.  
  
Eventually he cried himself into submission.  
  
Now he lay at the bottom of the dome, curled in on himself and silent.  
  
He just kept seeing it again and again. The man had kicked her stomach, and all the sound blocked out from Kurt's ears. She froze completely and things started moving in slow motion, like he knew what was about to happen. Then the man kicked her head and she fell limp to the mud. She didn't move again. Not for the next hour that the mutants were kept caged, watching her lie there. Kurt had cried the entire time, refusing to be comforted. But that wasn't really a problem, they were all too hurt to care.  
  
It was odd, now that he thought about it. He'd barely spoken two words to the dark girl. The others had been less than civil usually. But they were all so affected, as if it had been themselves.  
  
They'd clamped a cloth covered in ether over his mouth and nose while Kurt hadn't been paying attention. He'd woken up in the white room.  
  
Was she dead?  
  
That was all that kept going around his head.  
  
Funny, he wasn't really sad, just angry. And he wasn't angry at the man, so much as he was angry at Callie.  
  
He snickered at the thought.  
  
#########====########  
  
Sail raised her eyebrows. "Well?"  
  
He blinked, and looked down at the paper. "Thank you?"  
  
"Ugh." She rolled her eyes and tossed him a pencil. "Write. Everything you're thinking. You don't, and we'll know. You aren't getting out of here until then."  
  
Kurt raised his eyes back up to her as the door slammed shut. "What I'm thinking?" he repeated softly. He touched the papers, brow furrowed. "Drawings? Writing? What am I thinking?"  
  
He set down the paper and picked up the pencil, balancing it on its point, thinking.  
  
Callie.  
  
He playfully adjusted his grip, teasingly looking up at the tiny corner camera. He was in a very odd mood. He felt like giggling.  
  
He hadn't felt like giggling in months.  
  
I think I'm turning into Sintjon. There's this really weird idea in my head. I want to laugh.  
  
He leaned forward, smiling.  
  
I want to laugh at Callie. How come she gets to leave? Why did she get to go and I did not?  
  
He giggled. "I guess I haven't suffered enough..."  
  
I need to suffer more...  
  
#########====########  
  
The white-blonde 'investor' looked up from the papers with a small smile. "Do you think that passes for consent, my dear sir?"  
  
The master looked up at him seriously. "Sir?"  
  
"You have consent. You may continue with the further experiments."  
  
"Is that in-"  
  
"I don't want to know the details," he smiled winningly, walking to the door. "I want the results."  
  
///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  
  
Rogue and Scott were murmuring to each other so as not to disturb Logan, carving something out of a small log. Kurt smiled from the doorway, then slowly rolled around it until he was in the next room, holding Rogue's fractured fairy tales to his side.  
  
Well, at least Scott wasn't Bobby.  
  
Catching sight of the boy through the door to the gym, Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. He was freezing Jubilation's balance beam.  
  
He lowered his head in thought as he continued on.  
  
Things were oddly quiet with the mansion this empty. It was weird. Both he and Bobby, two of the most annoyingly loud people in the mansion, were there, but Kurt just didn't feel up to being annoying lately. And Bobby had quieted down too.  
  
He shrugged to himself, opening the door to his room.  
  
Meh. Personal difficulties.  
  
#########====#################====#################====########  
  
I did have this really good bit planned. I had this really good idea for the white room. And then... now... and yeah... it's gone. Dammit.  
  
And peoples that don't really understand something but couldn't be... yeah... to review, it might be a good idea to scan the replies, coz sometimes I'll explain stuff. Or I could just be trying to get you to read. Meh.  
  
REVIEWS!  
  
Aww, Chrissie... if it makes you feel any better at all, I failed my last two exams. History and Physics. YES! School-losers of the world unite! And at the start of the year when I was still trying to speak Japanese, I failed every single one of my vocab tests until I gave up. Who wants to know how to say Science anyway? Grr. Anyway. The disclaimers, yes. Um. Hm. In the old days they were stupid jokes I remembered. Then I got this guy called Roy to tell me bad jokes, but they started turning into pick up lines, and then he refused to stop giving them to me... Um. Then it was weird jokes I found in weird places, the second disclaimer (I think) was from my joke-of-the-day and now they're coming from an email I was sent a few weeks ago that I thought 'Huhm. That might appeal to the sick and twisted!' and started putting them up.  
  
Now. As for Callie and Stacey. Callie, as I've said before, I'm not actually telling. You have to think. But you wouldn't know, so you have to suffer, sorry. Everyone else, lengthen the name and give her an eye patch! Think people! Come on! If Kiki can get it...!  
  
Sorry Kiki.  
  
Stacey, however, is a character from the comics, apparently. She's got orange scales, sorta like a snake woman, I think. She used to be a prostitute for the 'adventurous' and made a hell of a lot of money. The X-men picked her up somewhere and that's all I know.  
  
Ryu-Sama. I took one of those quizzes once. I don't know when I'm going to die, I can't remember. What IS a cyber-pocky? Tell me and I'll tell you if I like it. I'm a bit afraid to touch it, you see. Have you updated lately? Ffdn hates me right now...  
  
Chris, goddammit! I'm not perfect! But hey, if you wanna believe that, go ahead! Chris sends me emails. Chris is really sweet, but has this weird thing of wanting to worship me... Anywho. I completely agree on the NC-17 fics. Okay, so some of them are an excuse to have sex, but most of them are really heart wrenching, well-written stuff. Of course, if I was to write one it would probably be the case of the former, but hey. Loved the quote... Dyonne wants to talk to you.  
  
You're nuts. You should know this. And you're obsessive with the anime bit. That's almost as bad as Lee's friend Kitty, and she spends all her time in Fun fair and Morning Glory! And if you want to worship someone, why not me? I do great things for this story! And I poke her into doing the 'what could have happened' chapters! And I am single-handedly making her pass English! So there!  
  
Okay.  
  
Whatever.  
  
Next reviewer... would be... Sawdust Monster! Well, I'm glad SOMEone liked the sponges. Yes. Sponges are cool. I like sponges...  
  
Miss Lucifer! Another sponge-liker! Is that a word? Anywho. I know! Growl! How could they American-ise Pyro! It's so mean! But yeah. Probably just as well, can you imagine the accent he would've tried to put on? Um... ages. Yes. Well. Um. Okay, they're all between eleven and twenty. I'm thinking Pyro's the youngest, but I dunno. Callie is definitely the oldest, and Remy is probably next. To tell you the truth, I have no idea about the song, but Dyonne says yay someone else has heard it. Hmph.  
  
I know Cheesy Monkey, but, but, well... um... I'm BUSY!!! And more than slightly out of inspiration right now. I'm trying to write three fics, one which I want to be only a romance but I keep slipping into the frikkin angst, one of which I have officially run out of ideas for and this one which is really hard because I put myself into a time span! It bites! And I would go and do Bad Days (that makes four... god, what am I doing to myself?) but Rogue is really hard to write for me. Because I don't want her to be depressed about the no-touchy bit. =sigh= Do you see my problem? What was wrong with the chapter? You have to tell me these things! How do I know if I'm screwing it over if you won't tell me? ARGH!!!  
  
Kiki- [insert evil grin] I live to torture you with cliffhangers. Nah. Anyway. Reading room has its own story in the future, but it'll wait, coz I'm slack. I went to your site and it's working fine, maybe Dyonne didn't load it right or something. She's got that techno-stupidity disease that lots of people have. But I showed her and she's got a new favourite, can't remember which, but yes. I have Australian Pride! I remember three Aussie Prime Ministers! So there! That's... one more than the average Australian! So there!  
  
Hmm.  
  
Erin- I was thinking about, ooh, there was such subtext in your first sentence. Dyonne hasn't read it yet, but is that how you meant it? Heh heh. Anyway. I was thinking about making a Scott/Rogue bit, but I dunno. Jean and Scott just have such a good thing going. However... that gives me an idea...  
  
Thanks Key! I like these new, longer reviews... I feel so special. I'm glad you liked StJohn's humour, I'm trying to keep him in check, but it's not always working... CliffHangers are good. Except when I write them and then come back to forget what I was going to say...  
  
Thanks, Bant! Sure, I'd love to read your stories... but I can't find you! I'll recheck after this, but so far the search engine isn't coming up with you...  
  
Whoa. Georgia Peach. Whoa. Did I end up reviewing your story? I think I did. I remember liking it, anyway. Okay. Georgia Peach reviewed I Always Do, but I'm going to answer her review anyway coz it was so frikking long it deserves it!!!  
  
Okay. First of all, anyone who's ever seen a single episode of Kim Possible must go check out 'Kim Possible meets the X-men'. It's so cute!  
  
As for my story helping, take it all with a pinch of salt. I learnt most of my stuff from other people's fics and it turns out that half my information is stuff Internutter made up. Sorry, Nutter! But thanks anyway.  
  
I saw the middle of Shadow Dance and I was hooked. Probably just as well I didn't see Speed and Spyke, coz Kurt's really irritating in that one!  
  
People seem to have spent way too much time reading this... I feel bad, taking away from your lives like that, but then I feel cool coz people kept reading. As for Ged/Loke/Loki... I know. It's spelt Loki, but I heard the name from Akaluk, and it was probably a typo, anyway. But yeah. Kurt calls him Loki or Ged. It's only Ged that calls himself Loke. Loser, isn't he?  
  
That was not a flame. Hee hee. You should read some of the reviews for chapter fourteen! They were scary!  
  
Tabitha is apparently an annoying cow. I just think she's cool. I saw Badda-Bing Badda Boom and the end made me think she was really a nice person under everything. People just don't like to remember that. I love Kurtty stories, but yeah, it was just getting a little old. I don't like Amanda...  
  
Helena! Hey! Thanks, I think. Ventile's talking to. Well, technically he's talking to Kurt. Did you read I Always Do? Yeah, in one of the chapters, Kurt kinda... sorta... without really being in control... told Ventile everything about his past. He taped it, and that's what he's listening to.  
  
AND THAT'S THAT!!! If I missed someone, sorry, but I either accidentally lost your review, or you reviewed yesterday, when ffdn was fixing stuff. All the reviews were deleted. So yeah. I've rambled enough. Luv ya! LeDiz 


	6. Gymnastics

__

Does anyone else love ffdn as much as I do? I mean, ain't it just grand when it won't let you post anything? Such a wonderful thing. Especially when you get an inspiration rush. It's great. COME ON! I need something to take my mind off Australian pride! DAMN YOU KIKI! What have you done???

****

DISCLAIMER: Mary had a Little Lamb, it ran into a pylon. A thousand volts shot into it and now it's making nylon.

#########====#########

The page was slightly bloodstained, a few drops and smears on one edge. It was torn a little, but most of them were. This was the clearest, the neatest. The writing was more legible the further you went, but towards the bottom of the pile, the paper became worse and several pages were torn and taped. Antoinette still had to squint to read.

__

The scariest thing is waking up every morning alive. Callie's gone and there's nothing to stop me thinking about it. I hate her. Why did she leave? It's been months, but I still dream about it. But in the dream, it's not Callie on the end of the chain.

Sometimes it's me, sometimes it's Sinjon, or Stacey. It's never Remy. Sometimes Remy saves the person on the chain. He leaps out of the cage on a horse of silver and fights the death man. Then he sets everyone free and we all go riding away.

I had a dream last night where I was on the chain, but there was no cage. Sinjon and Stacey were singing in a corner, but Callie and Remy were holding onto other chains, tying me up so I couldn't get out.

And the death man didn't bother hurting me. He stood there and laughed while the white men came forwards with knives. One of them smiled and said he was finally going to see the inside, and his knife split me open, but I woke up before anything else happened.

I know that's going to happen one day. I'm not stupid. I know I'm a freak and I know that the fact they haven't hurt me yet is a blessing from God.

He must be up there still, watching over me.

Maybe this is a test.

To see if I can make it through. And one day, the white men will tell the death man to kill me, and while they cut me up, like Stefan said they would, I'll go to Heaven for being strong through it all.

Sinjon said that crying makes it worse. He told Stacey a few months ago that it just makes them happy.

He told her not to cry, or it would never end.

Then he started singing. That old song of his about the 'swagsman'. He says it means that you have to do things the way you want to, not giving anyone the satisfaction. It always cheers Stacey up. I don't understand half the words, but the tune is nice.

So every now and then I ask him to sing it before I sleep.

It takes away the hurt.

Just a little.

Until the white room comes again and I have to write.

My hands hurt. The pencil is useless. It's barely worth writing with. But if I want a better one, I have to sharpen the pencil. My hands hurt.

#########====#########

Jubilation clapped. "Come on, Kurt! You call that a cartwheel?"

He turned and crossed his arms. "No, but I work better on wire than this clunky old thing."

"Clunky? That's high quality merchandise!" she cried. "That balance beam is the best you can get!"

"Balance beams are clunky." He said firmly. He grinned and flipped off it, landing near the rings. "These, however…"

"That's cheating." She protested.

Bobby smirked at Rogue, but she just rolled her eyes. "Show off."

"I heard that!" he called. "It's not cheating, Jubes. You never said it had to be a cartwheel."

"Well I do now. A want a no-hands cartwheel, three turns, now."

"The beam's not long enough." He said simply.

"Then do it here." She said, indicating the tumble mat. "With two backward flips."

"You're making this too easy." He complained, but moved to the start of the mat.

He performed the routine, putting in a few extra moves, and stopped in front of her with a grin. "Your turn."

She was suddenly very pale. "What?"

"You're so good, do what I just did."

"But I-"

"it's not that bad…" he grinned with a wink at Rogue. "You are the gymnast, after all. I'm just a simple tumbler. Right?"

"But-"

"You can't take it, can you?"

__

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"You can't take it, can you?" smirked Ludwig.

Kurt glared through the glass. He'd been put in a tiny box in the middle of the medical rooms, with Ludwig, Sail and the master clustered around, gazing in at him.

"I can." Snapped Sail. "It's just a matter of mind control."

"True." Said Ludwig, crossing his arms. "But there's a difference between mind control and shielding from a psychic attack. It hurts like hell, last I remember. You couldn't take the pain. That's why you don't want to see our dear friend Dimitri, correct?"

She slammed her fist on Kurt's box. "I can take anything that telepathic twit throws at me!" she yelled. "I just think he's a sleaze and a complete bastard, he tells everyone he can about everything he sees. It's a security risk to bring him in here!"

The master was crouched by his box, examining Kurt's tail, winding around his leg and arm. "Perhaps… but our investor is very interested in our little friend. Wants to see the limits he can achieve."

Kurt looked at him, scared.

"And as we have yet to see him fight, Little Kurti Wagner is a mystery…"

Fight? Him? He'd never been in a real fight! Sure, he knew how to pretend fence, but a fight?

"I don't like it." She hissed. "And besides, we've lost specimens to Dimitri before. We've barely had this one a year, I don't want to lose it to his mental blasts."

"He'll be careful." Said the master softly. "If he damages Kurti Wagner, I'll put him in his place, what do you think?"

Ludwig looked aside, but Sail snorted. "He'd kill us all before we could get a collar on him."

He chuckled. "Are you truly so worried, Sail? Don't be. They'll be in one of the containment cells. If he gets out of hand, I'll activate a power dampener. Alright?"

She scowled.

"Alright." He said, then straightened. "Ludwig, put Kurti Kurti Wagner in with his pencils, then go and inform the guards of Dimitri's arrival. Sail, please, join me for a drink."

Kurt wasn't entirely sure of what was going on, but he knew one thing. If Sail didn't like something, it had to be good.

#########====#########

"Here's a hint, Kurti." Said Stacey, later. "Just because Sail's a mother fucking bitch doesn't mean she's always wrong."

Kurt, curled up in a screaming ball, clawing at his head, had to agree.

'Dimitri' was an old Russian telepath. He had a smirk on his face to rival Stacey's best at all times, and his skin was that grey, loose texture, weathered and scarred. His brown eyes were constantly darting around, and whenever they stopped on someone, the smirk became a grin.

Kurt was thrown into one of the white rooms, but this one had soft padding around the walls, a flat floor and a large mirror on one wall. He slowly stood up and came face to face with Dimitri. He blinked.

Dimitri lost his smile, gazing at Kurt silently. Kurt furrowed his brow as a weird feeling started playing in his mind. The old man grinned. "Daemon…" he murmured.

"Nein." said Kurt. "Kurti."

Dimitri grinned. "Daemon."

Kurt took a step back. "What do you want?"

"It's all in there, if I can just see it." Whispered Dimitri, then he began speaking fast, erratic, happily under his breath. "Hungry. Very hungry. You don't eat enough, my boy. Angry. Ohhh, so angry. Waiting, waiting. Too long to wait, have to grow big, have to grow strong."

Kurt took another step backward, he was getting a headache, and this grey man was scaring him, saying things that scared him.

"Poor Stacey, all alone. StJohn, oh, the poor boy. Used against him. Losing his mind. You're losing your mind, too, you know. I can feel it. I can see it. Callie's gone. How dare she leave you. No reason to be sad no more. Just angry. Enjoy it, enjoy it." Dimitri chuckled, rolling his eyes backward in pleasure. "Laugh, have to laugh. Don't give them the satisfaction. Got to feel it, got to know it. Got to hate. Got to be mad. Glass, too much glass, don't like it, no."

"Auuhh…" Kurt put a hand to his head, pressing against his eye. It felt like his head was going to explode, and too many memories kept brushing past his face. He sobbed into his hand, dropping into a crouch.

"Glass box. Stefan. Stefan was right. Museums. That's where you'll end up, in a museum, in a box, glass box. Stuffed and snarling. Animals. Animal. I am an animal. All people are animals. We are just closer." His eyes snapped back to Kurt and he advanced. "Backwards. We are backwards. Fur. Humans don't have fur. Pain, pain, so hungry. It hurts. Not just our head, but our whole body." Dimitri started panting, grinning in ecstasy. "Old hurts. So much. Check ups hurt. Don't like doctors. Doctors bad…"

"Bitte…" sobbed Kurt. "Anschlag… bitte…"

"Ahh… So different are we." Dimitri stopped moving and dropped to kneeling. "So different. Tail. Eyes. Hands. Feet. Move different. Eat different. See different." He looked into Kurt's eyes, suddenly caught. "What is your power?"

He shook his head. "Momimos…" he closed his eyes, crying. "Ugvig ma tuke… Momimos cintaa."

"You speak Romany…" Dimitri closed his eyes again. "Yes. Taught Romani magic. No boy, not that power. Mutant power. Real power."

Kurt hit his head with his fists, trying to force the pain and his voice away.

"Don't know… use it! Find out your power! It is there, I feel it. So much unused! Could be so powerful! What is it?" Dimitri cried out in frustration. "Too young, too young! Little boy! No! Want real mutant! Real power!"

Kurt looked up at him, the pain slowly leaving. He panted, the tears still flooding down his cheeks. He bared his clenched teeth and stood slowly, glaring at the ranting telepath.

"You want Dimitri to discover his power, but Dimitri cannot do this if demon do not know his power! He is too young. I cannot force him to use it. He is only eight years old! Too young, too young!" He cried, waving at the mirror.

He turned just as Kurt sprang at him, aimed to hurt. Dimitri laughed and threw out his hand. The pain in Kurt's head rose up in a flash, and he fell, screaming. The pressure kept building, like there was an animal inside. He hit the ground and rolled, pulling at his hair desperately.

Dimitri laughed and moved over him. "Little boy, little demon. You cannot hurt me." His grin widened and Kurt's scream reached a new height, the pain like madness.

#########====#########

Remy shot up and clutched at the bars of his cell. "What the hell is that?" he yelled over the noise.

"Sounds like a drowning cat!" Stacey yelled back.

StJohn paled on his bunk. "Sounds like Kurt."

Stacey tightened her grip on her bars. "No way."

"No way Kurti sound like that thing!" agreed Remy.

StJohn shook his head. "That's Kurti…" he blinked furiously. "What are they doing?"

Remy clenched his jaw. "Dimitri…"

#########====#########

Alone in a small, circular, white room, a small animal lay huddled at the center of the floor, where it dipped to the lowest point.

It didn't move, other than the tiny shaky breaths it managed.

Every so often, a small noise, like a child, would come from the animal. It didn't cry. The noise was like a sad and ironic laugh.

After an hour, the animal began to murmur odd words that no one in this large building would understand. Then the language changed to German. Eventually it changed again, English syllables rolled off its tongue, barely understandable. Then it fell silent, the pain washing over it in heavy waves.

Another hour passed in silence.

__

///////////////======\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"You have no idea how much it hurt." The tape showed the slightest hint of emotion. A small amount of patience softening the disinterested tone. "Like a thousand knives, poured in hot oil, and coated in sand… no… that doesn't fit. There's no way to describe it other than… someone going into your head with a hatchet, and carving you messages."

Ventile was addicted to this part of the tape. He had heard it time and again, but he kept going back to the same spot. He didn't feel pity or sorrow, it was like a sort of voyeurism. He listened and imagined.

"One day you will feel the pain. One day. When you're old and your mind is going, you'll try to remember something from your childhood, and you'll try as hard as you can and you won't remember. It'll hurt. Remember, and maybe you'll have an inkling of what he felt."

Ventile closed his eyes and waited for the description to end. He rubbed at the back of his head and turned to the tape.

#########====##################====##################====#########

__

Hmm. I'm not going to re-read this, coz I'm slack. Feel free to tell me if it sucked, because how else am I supposed to know?

Cheerio! LeDiz.


	7. Yoyos

****

DISCLAIMER: Little Boy Blue Blew. Hey, he needed the money!  
_Okay, that was bad.  
_Humpty Dumpty sat on a Wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men said "screw it, he's only an egg."

########=====########

Kurt was leaning on the sink, watching Scott through the window.

Scott was playing with a yo-yo, and doing some very nice tricks with it, too. Of course, if anyone came out to talk to him, Scott would hide it, and say he'd just been thinking. Kurt smirked. It was so typical of Scott to hide his little obsession.

Someone came into the kitchen and Kurt spun on the spot, suddenly guilty. "Oh! Hey there, uh, Bobby."

Bobby blinked slowly. "Hi." He glanced over Kurt. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He said quickly. For some reason he didn't want anyone else to know about Scott's yo-yo. He closed his eyes at the thought. Goddamn, he was pathetic.

"Uh huh." Bobby opened the fridge, still watching Kurt, took out a bottle of coke, then backed out of the kitchen. "You keep doing… nothing… then."

Kurt laughed and waved Bobby out of the room, then glanced back at Scott. He reached into his pocket and started toying with one of his pencils. He shook his head and left the room.

/////////////////====////////////////

Kurt grunted as the knife bit into his finger again.

The biggest problem with the writing wasn't the fact that he was forced to write until he fell asleep, or that these days he had to write while stuck in a big glass box under the dangerous gaze of one of the pokiest doctors he'd had yet, but that he had to sharpen his pencils with a knife.

He wasn't very good at it.

He was gaining a slightly twisted logic, too. In his mind, the idea of the people knowing he was hurt in anyway scared him more than anything. So he wouldn't make any noise, no matter what happened.

He went back to shaving away the wood and lead until it was sharp enough to write with, then pressed the pencil to the paper once more, the blood dripping down to smudge his words.

########=====########

"Why hasn't his power manifested yet?"

Ludwig and Sail cowered back, looking at each other in fear.

"It's been an entire two YEARS, you useless idiots! We haven't learnt anything new in eight months!"

Sail looked up, pleading. "Please, master, I… he's only nine years old… for him to have any sort of mutancy at this age… it's astounding… in five years, sir, I assure you…"

"FIVE YEARS?! FIVE YEARS!!! We have studied manifestation beyond any other scientific center in Europe. WHY have you not managed to force it to happen? You did it with Mutant M, why have you not done it to O?"

Ludwig clenched his teeth. "Please, sir… it's a little different. Dimitri was able to ascertain his actual power through the mind, you see… this time… well… there are too many possibilities. He's not telepathic or telekinetic, but he does have enhanced mental capabilities, it's slightly physical, but not overly so… I don't think we've ever come across his type before, sir…"

The master lashed out, grabbed Ludwig's collar and dragged him close. "Now you listen to me, Ludwig. A mutant's powers manifest under extreme stress. When I return tomorrow, I want to see a test under extremely stressful conditions. Do you understand me?"

Ludwig was quiet.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

He flinched, his eyes closing momentarily. "Yes… mein herr."

"Good. Sail. Tell Dimitri he will speak with me tomorrow. I don't care what he's doing. He will speak with me." He glared from one pale face to the other, then stormed from the room.

Sail put her hand on Ludwig's shoulder. "You alright?"

He glanced at her. "Ja, Sail. Ich bin fein." He snapped, then pulled himself from her grasp and marched outside.

She lowered her eyes to monitor showing the small blue mutant, writing with bloody fingers in the white containment room, totally oblivious to the argument. "I should've let Dimitri kill you." She spat, then followed Ludwig.

########=====########

Stacey didn't even look over as the door to their cellblock open. "How were the fun and games, Kurti? You were gone a long time this time."

Sail slapped a baton on her cage bars. "On your feet, H."

Stacey rolled onto her stomach. "Why, Sail. I haven't seen you in months."

"Now!" she ordered. "All three of you, get up, against your back walls, hands out for cuffing."

StJohn stood silently, confused. Things had been very quiet for them the last few months. With Kurt around, first generation mutants such as themselves weren't particularly interesting to the scientists anymore. Not that he was complaining.

"Where's Kurti?" asked Stacey as the guard shut the cuffs around her wrists.

"You'll see him soon enough." She replied.

Remy glared steadily past his guard. "He is alive?"

"Of course he's alive. And perfectly fine." She said. "Come. And remain silent."

########=====########

Kurt looked at Ludwig and then around. "What are we doing here?"

Ludwig raised his eyebrows. "Do you really want to know Kurti Wagner?"

He nodded.

"In a few moments, your family is going to come through that door. And you will die." He said warningly. "Unless you can stop them."

Kurt blinked. "Was?"

"English." He reminded him. "And that's all I can tell you. Good luck." He smiled briefly, then turned and walked from the mud field.

Kurt looked up at the dark clouds, then at the enclosing fences. This was the area where Callie had died. He reached down and touched the dirt softly. It had been so long, and now it was his turn. He sighed, ready.

########=====########

"We have learned all we can from you three." Continued Sail, all business. "Unless you're hiding something. So, we have a proposition for you. Outside that door is a small panther. If you can kill it within ten minutes, without any harm to yourself, you can leave."

Remy narrowed his eyes. "And the catch?"

"I did say without any harm to yourself." She reminded him with a smile. "And remember, Mutant B, you have no object in there to fire up." She looked to StJohn with a smirk, then turned to Stacey, revealing a malicious grin. "And unless you intend to sleep with felines…"

Stacey smiled. "I wouldn't want it to know there's better than you out there."

She ignored that. "This panther is no ordinary animal, either. It has been modified with human characteristics."

"A mutant…" StJohn glanced at Remy, but he was busy inspecting the weapons they had been given. He had been given a long, thin staff with a blade on the end. Pyro had a lighter, and Stacey was holding a long knife, like a dagger, obviously without any idea of how to use it.

Sail opened a side door. "Have fun." She said, stepping behind it.

Remy glanced at the others, then cautiously tried the door leading to the 'panther'.

########=====########

"Has Dimitri begun?" asked Sail, slipping into her seat.

Ludwig nodded regretfully. "They won't have any idea what they're doing."

"I hope this works." She muttered. "This is getting old."

Ludwig laughed harshly. "Honestly, Sail. Have you no compassion for those people?"

"No, of course not." She stared at him. "They're mutants. They aren't people. They're a mistake, freaks. Eventually, they will die out. But they're fascinating. It's waiting for them to develop that's getting old."

He smiled without humour. "Humane society, watch out."

She glared at him from the side of her eye.

########=====########

This was small? Hell, he didn't want to see a large one.

StJohn flicked open his lighter as the cat roared. "Bugger." He whispered. "That's one frikking huge pussy cat."

Stacey nodded fearfully.

Remy grinned. "But it is only a pussy cat, all the same, mon ami." He started toward the animal, completely confidant. "I am truly sorry, messieur panther, but I have had enough of Big Brother. Please do not hold your death against me."

The cat growled, backing up against the fence, its chest close to the ground.

StJohn furrowed his brow. There was something off about all this. He felt… wrong.

"The big guy's got a point, Johnno. You ready?" said Stacey.

He shook himself, looking up at her. "What?"

"Let's go kick some tail, every pun intended." She tried to grin, clutching her knife tightly.

Remy brought his staff crashing down, hitting the dirt where the cat had been with another force to crack it. He growled and swung around again, but the panther pressed its front paws on the staff and jumped away again, tumbling over his shoulder.

StJohn grabbed Stacey's arm. "Just wait… look… does that seem a little weird for an animal?"

She followed his gaze as the cat pounced onto Remy's shoulders and jumped off again, knocking him to the ground. "Um?" she ran forward. "It's been modified, Sinjin. So unless you're an expert in manmade mutations now, shut up and help me help Remy!"

He bit his lip, then shook his head and followed.

########=====########

Kurt yelled out as Remy aimed a kick at his head. "Please! Stop!" he cried, ducking and rolling.

In the back of his mind, the circus in him was thinking fast. True, it had been two years, and even then he'd only been a follower, but Kurt knew how to scheme and plan, not only performances but fight scenes. In order to make the performance convincing, a choreographer had to take the performer's skills and style into consideration. Remy was an angry fighter. He put all his energy into stopping his opponent without quarter. This meant he didn't think strategy, and would probably only think his best and strongest moves would work against him.

Remy wouldn't remember that it had been at least three years since he'd gotten proper exercise. Remy wouldn't remember that he was underfed and weak from years of barely moving.

But most of Kurt was worried and scared. Remy, and now Stacey and StJohn, were all trying to kill him, and they weren't listening to a word he was saying. No matter how much he yelled and avoided him, Remy was still throwing the staff and kicking just as hard as ever, if not more from anger.

Suddenly a blast of fire stretched between him and Remy. He cried out and sprang back, sliding on all fours when he hit the ground. He looked around. StJohn was holding his lighter in one hand, directing the fire with the other. He jerked his head to look at Kurt, and the younger mutant could see the indecision there. StJohn clenched his teeth and turned his hand toward Kurt.

"No! StJohn! Wait!" he dived under the flame, put one hand on the ground and sprang into a backward flip, landing near Stacey. His eyes widened as she threw her knife at his head, and he jumped onto StJohn's shirtfront, gripping with both hands and feet.

"John!" yelled Stacey, and Remy ran forward.

Kurt ignored them, staring into StJohn's eyes. He was the only one who didn't seem sure. "Please, Sinjin! You know me! You know me! Please!"

But StJohn just stared back in fear. Then his hand was suddenly against Kurt's front, with the lighter clicking against his shirt.

The flame threw Kurt backward and he bounced off the fence, landing sprawled in the dirt, cringing in pain.

__

It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, don't let them see, they'll know and they'll use it. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt… Kurt choked back a sob, curling in on himself. _It doesn't hurt. No one can know. It doesn't hurt._

He threw his head up, blinking at the others, advancing cautiously, slowly, to see if he was alive.

He coughed. "Remy… Please…" he reached out a hand to hold Remy's bare foot.

Remy's eyes widened as the black paw hit his skin. It was too long, and the pads… there weren't any, it was covered in fur, but it was a hand, a three fingered, thin little hand.

"Merde…" he gasped, and dropped to his knees. "Kurt! Kurt, what did they do?"

StJohn stared. "That's Kurti?"

Stacey shook her head in disbelief. "No way!"

"I knew something was off, but that's ridiculous…" StJohn ran a hand through his hair. "Bugger me… is he alright? Oh, god… Kurt, oh, God, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay…" Kurt breathed. "It doesn't hurt… it didn't happen…"

Remy picked him up, feeling along his limbs, just to make sure, and hugged him to his chest. "It's okay, Kurti, you can talk, homme…"

"I am talking…"

"Oh, God, what if they did something to him?" said Stacey, wringing her hands. "What if he can't talk? What if they're turning him into an animal? You know… furthering the mutation?"

Remy shook his head. "they wouldn't. This is all in our heads… It's Dimitri…"

"Who is this guy?" demanded StJohn.

"All in our heads?" repeated Kurt, slowly. He was having trouble breathing. The burn had gotten his chest, but it wasn't serious, it just hurt like mad. He blinked slowly. "All in my head? It didn't happen… don't let them see… it doesn't hurt… it's all in my head…" he closed his eyes, nestling into Remy's shoulder. "All in my head…"

Remy scowled at the other two. "Dimitri is a sick-" he slipped into some Cajun profanity before continuing. "He's one of those… psychic… mess with your head, oui? And he enjoys it. He enjoys going into your head and toying with your memories. Making you think different. Very painful. They did it to me, and you, John."

StJohn raised his eyebrows.

"That was Dimitri?" asked Stacey, incredulous. "When you first came, Sinjin, they didn't know your power, remember? And then they forced you to use it with the fire walls?"

He nodded slowly. "But there's this big blank… they messed with my memory?"

Remy nodded. "And Remy think they been playing with our boy Kurti a lot more than they should be." He ran a hand down Kurt's cheek. "And making us see something different than what he is."

StJohn's eyes narrowed and Stacey's shoulders dropped.

She sat down heavily beside Remy and rested her head on his shoulder. "Callie is so lucky to be gone…" she muttered.

/////////////////====////////////////

It was a slow night, another very, very slow night at the institute.

Kurt was hanging upside down from the ceiling lights, watching Rogue and Bobby argue loudly. Scott and the others were sitting around the table playing a card game, even the adults. Logan and Ororo were winning by an insane lead.

"And I say you should stop bugging me about it!" yelled Rogue.

"I would if you'd just tell me!"

"Why should it matter?!"

"It is my business! It's every guy's business!" Bobby folded his arms, amazed she couldn't see his point. "Think about it Rogue. How many times have you absorbed male thoughts into your head on compare to female? It's got to cross your mind at some point!"

"You are pathetic!" she cried. "No! Alright? No, I never, ever, EVER want to see a car derby, a boxing match or a mud wrestling competition. I don't like video games, I see too much of Kitty to want to see more, and to answer your question, NO, I don't think Spiderman could kick Batman's ass from here to Timbuktu. Anything else?"

"Why not?"

"Because Batman is older, smarter, more mature, and he trains! Spiderman is just lucky!"

"But he's got superpowers!"

"So? You've got more superpower than I do and I could beat you senseless." She argued.

He paused. "You have a point."

########=====################=====################=====########

__

My friends David and Lee actually had this argument a few weeks ago. Yes, I know someone else called Lee, he's a guy. _They often have arguments like this. I actually preferred the last one, which was about Scott and Bobby. Bobby ended up winning, because there's a disadvantage to Scott's… but anyway._

****

REVIEWS!!!

****

Chris… Ventile's not a mind fucking pervert… he's just… a you know… psychiatrist. Dyonne wishes to tell you a lot that I'm not going to repeat, but she's falling in love with your old apartment, so you know. The writing on the walls, the cupboard, etc etc… But I loved that quote! I like that sort of logic, about the why you should drink beer. Thought it was great. Just my sorta thing. And the joke… hee hee. Oohhh, kept me laughing for a while… = phew = I'm so glad you like the Kietro so far. I'm afraid I'm going to have to write two endings for that. One that I can post on here, and one for nutfiction, that doesn't have the rules or whatever. I'll send it to you, when I'm done… but that could take a while… = sigh = AND ARE YOU INSANE?!!! No! No Army for you! Okay, so you being posted in Australia would be kinda cool, but NO! Think, boy! What am I going to do without you e-mailing me every time I post? I will be torn to tiny shreds of pain! Please? =goes off to fume =

****

Sawdust Monster- ah. Yes. Well, the fairy tales came from something Arach told me about, which developed into a whole book. Heh heh. I am sick and twisted. But I remember a book of REAL fairytales, but I don't think I was allowed to read it at the time. Anyway. I just figured Rogue might be interested in that sort of story… or maybe I just wanted it…

****

Bant- Kurt's sort of losing it, yeah. Hell, wouldn't you? But we've move on, I guess, coz this is like almost a year after that… Sorry I took so long to update. I've been doing other stuff, and I've had like, no inspiration…

****

Ryu-Sama- do you realise that you said practically nothing in that entire review? You were in desperate need of sleep. For once, Max maybe right. Eep. But aww… I inspired tears? And I get Japanese snack food? As long as there's no seaweed, I'm happy. Banana once tried to make me eat that dried seaweed and then some sushi. Yech. I was sick for a week…

****

Kiki! Whaddaya know. Despite the fact you were writing about the wrong story, yep, it kinda was 'an ode to the title' of Glass Memories (I couldn't be buggered remembering the actual name). And yeah, they were trying to say Onomata-whatsis. I can say it, I just can't write it. One day, I swear, I WILL BREAK MY ANGST HABIT! One day. Same as I'll stop being so goddamn subtle when I write, too. It's annoying the hell outta me. And as for what Antionette's reading… well… I'm almost done with this story, and I guarantee that will make sense in the end. Promise. Yes, she's in Stefan's room. I agree on the art bit. I'd do it too, or ruin my nails scratching in a design or something… The investor… heh heh heh. You all know the investor… = glances around, evil grin in place = all of which will be explained in later chapters… AND I DETEST YOU FOR ALL YOUR PATRIOTIC PRIDE INSTILLING YOU EVIL, EVIL WORM!!! I was guilty for like a week! And Dyonne just hit me for yelling at you. Sorry Kiki. = grin = Thanks! I'm glad you like the beginning and end bits. They're just a little bit of reality to keep me in there. I'm honing my comedic talents for another Jess story, or this idea that's been in my head for ages… but it'd have songs, so I dunno. Blame the creator of Beyond the Pale (really cool story, BTW- everyone must read).

Hey **Me**! I'm so glad you found everything. None of my stuff is showing up on the just in chapter thingy. Most irritating. And so you know, I was writing the next chapter of Jetty when you ordered me to update now. If you coulda hung on for another hour… Heh heh. It's not a Kurtty. I'm just being slack in making it so… You COULD worship me, but I'd prefer no. Dyonne's open to worship, though, she says. No, of course cartoon characters aren't hot. That would be sick… = twiddles thumbs innocently =

****

Bob, my evil nemesis (If I don't kill you in subreality, I'll let Dyonne kiss you to death. She agrees with you on everything and believes you to be a Funny Guy, which translates into something I don't want to know about.), I plug way too much on the nutboard as is. If I put stuff up, I'd just feel… egh, I dunno, but I would.

****

Fyedra (did I get it right? Oh well, you're probably not reading this anyway)- I know. I'm the Australian equivalent of a valley girl myself, but I can't write likes. So I go back over stuff and just put them in randomly. Ack! I can't help it! ARGH!

__

And that's all! I think. If not, I'm very very sorry. Kill me later. Bye now!


	8. Presents

__

I'm not sure if I'm on an inspiration kick or I just want to get this done. It's getting a little too dark in my head, so I want to finish it before it can get too bad.

****

DISCLAIMER: Georgie Peorgie pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry, then the boys came out to play, he kissed them til they ran away.

########=====########

Kurt was sitting on the stairs, staring at a letter in his hands, but barely thinking. Scott sat down beside him and looked at his hands, silent.

Kurt swallowed and folded the letter. "So. Get anything from Jean yet?"

Scott shrugged. "A postcard. They're taking her sister to Disneyland, something about straight As or something."

Kurt nodded. "Postcards always seem to take the longest times, don't they?" he smiled at Scott slowly. "Personally, I'd put the card in an envelope and see how much faster it went."

Scott nodded, waiting.

A month ago, he wouldn't have expected Kurt to ever say anything, but now he knew Kurt would know whether or not he should talk. He was just waiting.

Eventually Kurt managed a weak smile. "My parents." He explained, waving the letter. "Someone broke into one of the houses in my village… stole something of mine."

"Yeah?" said Scott. "Important?"

"Ja…" Kurt cleared his throat. "But I didn't actually remember it, you see. One of the bad memories…" he half smiled again, before shivering visibly. Scott just waited silently. He wasn't going to push this time. "Funny thing, this. Because it was one of my things... in someone else's house… they thought I might have been the one to break in."

Scott nodded and they fell silent, just sitting on the stairs thinking.

Suddenly Kurt shook himself. "So. What's today's plan?"

"Well, I was thinking about what you said the other day. You know, about buying presents long before the actual day?"

"Ja. Then you aren't worried when it happens."

"What have you got the girls?"

Kurt touched his mouth, thinking. "I got Kitty a horse thing she was begging for… Jean… I haven't got anything, but I know what she wants, and Rogue. I got her that Avril Laverne thingy CD."

"Avril Laveigne?" he groaned. "That's what I was going to get Kitty!"

"Oh, don't worry, Scooter boy. I know Kitty's music tastes almost as well as the Beatles. She isn't big on angry girl music. Come on. I'll show you what to get, ja?"

////////////====////////////

Stacey sat holding Kurt close when the rain started outside the window. They'd been moved to one of the glass rooms, on the edge of one of the higher floors. All four of them together, waiting.

She watched the rain drops and kissed the top of his head absently. Remy smiled softly across the room. "It is too bad, cher."

"What is?" she murmured.

"That you can not be a mother. You were born to it."

She smiled at him. "At this rate, my dear boy, it appears I will be holding Kurti until he's my age."

StJohn was silent for once, watching the rain hit the window in torrents. He sighed, pressing his hand against the glass. He closed his eyes and leaned forward until his forehead hit the glass. "Almost three years..."

"Seven." Said Remy.

"Four." Said Stacey, combing blue hair through her fingers. "And two and a half for you, little Kurti."

He mumbled against her neck, trying to be asleep.

"Hardly seems like a nine year old to me." Said StJohn. "More like five."

"Can't blame him, though, can you?" said Stacey savagely. "You almost killed him today, StJohn."

"We all did." He replied, his tone just as venomous. "I was just the only one using power, and therefore the strongest." He seemed to lose his strength suddenly, sagging back against the window. "Why does this hurt so much today? I can usually handle life… What happened?"

"We hurt ourselves, today." She mumbled. "It's no one's fault but our own."

"No one to blame, no where to concentrate the anger, mon ami." Said Remy, loudly. He stood up. "So it hurts."

"Bugger you for being so coherent." StJohn said lazily. He closed his eyes and shifted so the back of his head was leaning on the window. He began singing under his breath.

Stacey looked back at Remy. "What do you think we're here for?"

########=====########

Erik smiled as he opened his palm, letting the man drop. He turned to Dimitri. "You will find that the human body contains a great deal of metal, my dear friend. Add on the Earth's magnetic forces pushed against them… Being the master of magnetism can also make you the master of death." He stepped over the supposed master and opened the next door. "Humans are pathetic creatures, Dimitri. You lowered yourself to work for them."

Dimitri grimaced and followed silently as Mr. Lenshire knocked out Sail. He was slowly working his way toward the room that held the four mutant experiments.

He stopped and looked back at Dimitri. "The boy… the blue second generation…"

"Would appear to be a teleporter, sir." Dimitri was wringing his hands, nervous.

"Yes. Why did you keep such information?"

"You did ask I keep any further information, did you not?"

"That I did. He should come into his power in a few short years, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Excellent."

########=====########

Ludwig entered the office and sat on the desk, returning the three glares with a calm gaze. "I have another three years of imprisonment."

Remy nodded slowly, fingering his collar.

"Sail is working under her own accord. I keep my daughter from harm by doing this."

StJohn raised his eyebrows slightly.

"But in some cases, I agree with Sail."

Stacey held Kurt tighter to her, making him murmur slightly in his sleep.

He lowered his eyes. "They no longer have use for the three of you. They will not sponsor your lives any longer."

Remy stood up and crossed the room in a fluid movement. He grabbed Ludwig's collar and jerked him off the table. "Remy think you're threatening us, Homme."

"Well Remy would be wrong." He said calmly. "I am simply stating facts."

Remy released him, but didn't move. "Why."

"Why?" Ludwig repeated. "It's simple, Remy. I'm warning you, and giving a little extra information."

Red eyes narrowed, waiting.

"That wall behind you, the window." Said Ludwig, nodding to the glass StJohn rested against. "Is not bullet proof. A simple explosion of heat would probably smash it."

StJohn giggled inanely.

"Young Kurti may not have come into his powers yet, but his natural abilities remain. Including such things as spatial awareness, night sight, more closely linked to lights, slightly enhanced hearing by design, limited invisibility, and the ability to cling to walls."

Stacey looked down at the boy in her arms, shocked.

"He is not aware that most of these things are any different to anyone else." Ludwig reminded them. "And he is not even aware of one or two."

Remy narrowed his eyes even further. "Get to the point."

"There is no point." Said Ludwig. "Continuing on. We have only one guard on front gate duty tonight. He's not a very good guard, either. Also, there is a cupboard behind that couch over there." He said, waving at the empty sofa. "That's all that I thought you'd want to know before your death tomorrow morning."

He nodded to Remy, placed a case on the desk and looked at Stacey, almost smiling. "I wish you will have a very good night."

He left the room again and Remy turned to the others.

"Is it just me, or is he telling us to get out?" said StJohn, slowly.

Remy quickly crossed to the door and tried the handle. "Locked."

Stacey shook Kurt gently. "Kurt, Kurti honey, wake up." She looked up at the young men. "Well? What are you waiting for? Move the couch." She snapped, then went back to Kurt.

StJohn grinned and leapt to pushing the couch, and Remy followed suit after only one hesitation. They found a long door along the floor. Remy opened it and chuckled. "Will you look at that."

StJohn cackled, pulling out a staff, lighter and what looked like a very odd gun. "Remind me to kiss Ludwig next time I see him."

"With any luck, we won't." said Stacey, standing up, Kurt shaking his head to clear it. She moved to the desk and opened the briefcase he'd left behind. "It's just paper… bloody…" she looked at the writing, then back at Kurt, who just gazed back at her.

"What?"

"Did you have to write something while you were gone from us?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Never happened."

She closed the case and put it in a backpack StJohn handed her from the cupboard. She slung it over her shoulders and motioned him behind the desk. "Think you can do it, Sinjin?"

He grinned at her. "Nope. Still got a collar, don't I?"

At that point, Remy felt something move on his neck. He reached up to the collar and couldn't feel it humming anymore. He smirked. "Remy think Ludwig might have forgotten to renew the power charge today."

He vaulted over the desk and crouched down, looking around at StJohn. "Anytime."

StJohn giggled. "Time to party!" he cried, clicking the lighter open. "And a one, and a two and one, two, three BOOM!"

One the final word, he snapped his hand open and the small flame from the lighter exploded into a fiery ball of gas, straight at the window. It shattered easily and he laughed as the fire dissipated. "Oh man, I feel like saying Crikey!" he laughed.

Remy ignored him, moving around the desk quickly and looking down. "Kurti. Come here."

Kurt trotted over and looked down. "Three floors."

"That's right, three. Do you think you can climb down with Stacey on your back?"

"Stacey?" she repeated. "Why not one of you?"

He just glared at her.

"okay, Stacey, I get the picture." She said.

"I could do everyone, one at a time." Said Kurt slowly.

StJohn moved to stand with them, still giggling. He looked around. "Two windows away, Remy. Look, a drainpipe."

"That's the idea. You two go now, we'll catch up."

Kurt and Stacey looked at each other and she grinned. "I'm ready if you are."

He nodded and climbed out onto the wall.

Remy stopped and pressed the gun into her hands. "Just in case."

She nodded. "Just in case." She slipped it into the backpack, then jumped up, kissing him. He stared at her. "Just in case." She grinned, then clambered down onto Kurt's back, her arms tight around his shoulders.

He winced, but started crawling down carefully.

Remy glanced back at the door. "Go, Johnno. We've wasted too much time."

StJohn nodded and slipped out onto the small sill that ran along under the windows. He closed his eyes, breathing hard. "Can do this. Can do this." He chanted, inching along, his hands pressed against the wall. Remy's eyes never stopped moving. Where were the guards? Where were the workers? Surely they must have heard. Surely they would have noticed and come running.

But the courtyard below remained empty but for a single guard, who stared up at them, open-mouthed.

On one of his regular glances back at the door, he almost yelled when it opened. A tall, white haired but young man stepped into the room, smiling complacently. "Hello, Mutant B. Or, is that… Remy?"

Remy took a step back, swallowing. He looked back out the window. Kurt and Stacey were almost down, but StJohn had barely reached the pipe. He readied the staff, clenching his teeth. "You're not going to get them."

He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I? Who's going to stop me, you? Gambit?"

"Gambit?" repeated Remy, confused.

"Da." Said Dimitri, stepping out from behind the man with a grin. "You are Gambit."

The telepathic wave hit him, and Remy screamed, falling to the floor.

########=====########

Kurt froze, still a few feet from the ground. Stacey jumped off and looked up in fear. "No…"

Kurt clenched his teeth and started up again, but Stacey grabbed his hips just before they were out of reach and yanked him off the wall. He gasped in pain, then growled. "Nein! We have to go back!" he cried.

"No!" She grabbed him by the shoulders, looking back at the guard, then stared into his eyes. "No, Kurti, we have to go."

"But Remy-"

"Will be fine!" She snapped. "It's us we need to worry about now." She looked up for a moment. _I am so sorry, Remy… But we have to get out._

The guard suddenly snapped to his senses and pulled out his gun. "{you two freaks stay where you are!}"

She blinked. "What?"

"{Don't you play dumb! Stay there! Don't you even try anything funny! I've got a gun, see!}"

"What?" She couldn't understand a word he was saying. She rolled her eyes. "Oh fine. I hope I can still do this." She muttered, then pumped up the pheromones.

########=====########

A young boy sat in the middle of an office. He didn't remember much. He'd woken up here. That's all.

He shook his head and red hair fell into his eyes. He gazed at it for a few moments, then giggled.

He looked across at the other boy that had woken up. He was holding his head in his hands, looking around, confused.

"Hello." Said the boy.

The other looked at him. "Hello." He had an accent.

"I'm… StJohn." Said the boy, thinking back. "Who are you?"

He blinked. "Remy."

"Oh." StJohn scratched his head. "You know… I don't remember much."

Remy shook his head. "Remy don't remember much either, homme."

The door opened and a tall, white-blonde man, wearing red metallic armour and black clothing, walked into the room, smiling. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Magneto. Perhaps you have some questions you would like to ask?"

Magneto turned to close the door, smirking at the body of the telepath. _You lower yourself to work for humans, Dimitri. And you follow too blindly those who are not._ He shut the door.

////////////====////////////

Antoinette turned away from the post office, still unsure of whether she was proud or not.

It would only take a few days. She had posted it express, with a letter tucked inside as well.

The bounty hunter shouldered her pack and started down the familiar road toward the next town. She only had a week before the circus would start out as well.

########=====########

Kurt handed Scott a CD with an expression on his face truly showing his opinion of it. "Mariah Carey."

"Uck." Scott took it from him, mirroring his look. "Is this that girl who hits those high notes just because she can?"

"That would be her." Kurt winced apologetically. "Kitty likes these sorts of singers. So it's either Mariah, Madonna or Cher."

"All of which are sent from hell to destroy our ear drums." Summarised Scott.

Kurt crossed his arms, his eyes surveying the department store. "I would say we surrender to the inevitable and say Kitty doesn't deserve a stereo."

"I agree." Scott followed his gaze. "Heeeyyy… there's an idea."

"What?"

He pointed. "A computer thing."

Kurt blinked. Now that was something he hadn't thought of. "Like what?"

He grinned. "I've got it! Kurt, you sure you don't want to go halves?"

"I've already got Kitty's present…" said Kurt. "But Bobby wants to get us all something good, and he barely knows her. Maybe he will. Why?"

"A digital camera!" Scott grinned and started out of the store.

"A what? Camera? How can a camera be digital?"

Scott grinned. "You'll hate it, because it means she can take a blue fuzzy picture of you, but she will love it."

Kurt groaned, but followed him wordlessly.

########=====################=====################=====########

__

I got the fifth HP book yesterday… I was reading it all day. But now I feel like a slow reader coz someone said it took them five hours to read and it took me about twice that. Oh well. The deal being?

****

REVIEWS!

Sawdust Monster- Mmmyyeahh… I was thinking he should maybe go psycho… but then again… no… (obviously) I dunno. Going psycho's more of a Ged thing, and Ged's being made, he doesn't actually exist yet… but yeah…

Starlight is a severely worrying person. :D Just jokes. Heh. Being hyper is cool. I wrote a really hyped up review for Kiki yesterday. That was odd. But reading them is always fun. =rolls eyes= Ah well. Much the same with waffling. Waffling is good.

Hey Klutz! I forgot you venture into this world every now and again. Nah… no nutboard posting for me. But hey, the challenge fic I've got up there, I'm stuck. So you know, if you wanted to tell me where to go for THAT… As for your question. I was thinking about that. I don't think they'll see each other again. StJohn and Remy are self explanatory, but Stacey, well. You'll see about Stacey later…

Erin, you've lost your marbles! Hooray! Sorry. Nah, the joke needed reading a couple of times, but it's funny, in that… twisted… sort of… What m I talking about? I'd probably post it as a disclaimer… Dimitri died. Very sad. I shall miss his ranting evil ways…

AKALUK! Hello! Was holiday good? It better have been. Yes, busy have I been. Very sad. It's quite plausible for you to be an angstaholic. I'm a comediholic, but an angstwritaholic. It's quite a serious disease. We should form a support group. I can't do anything on Yoyos either. I recently learnt to make them come back up to my hand, but that's not very impressive…

Raia Heartsblood- whoa. Interesting name. But that could just be what I've been reading lately. Yes! Scientists are evil! Let us all band together and pokes them! =poke poke= Oh well… Updating WOULD happen every day, but my muse has gathered up most of my other muses and hid them. So it's not likely. =sigh= And now I have school to look forward to tomorrow! Hooray! Early morning test! DOUBLE hooray!

Key- yeah, I love gymnastics. I'm more for ice skating, but it's the same thing sometimes. That twisting… it's so amazing… Anyway. =grin= glad you liked the Rogue/Bobby convo. It's sad that things like that happen. But happen they do…

Me- ARGH! There are two ways to discover you've screwed up. One, someone points it out to you and you go "Oh yeah… Oh bugger…", or two, you figure it out and someone points it out and you go "Matzerfrazit." Recently, it seems to be the latter for me of late. Very sad. But yes. I HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW I'M GETTING OUT OF THIS PLOT HOLE! Thanks for saying, if not I probably wouldn't have come to my stunning conclusion. Hooray! And you are evil. You get to watch the show. Where is it? I can't find it! I cry into my miserable little corner. Heh heh. I'm glad your friend likes the jokes.

Chris! My dearest and darling! Let's see… Yes. Private thoughts are much better kept private, though sometimes this is not always a good idea. But even so, I can totally see why you don't like Xavier and Jean and Ventlie and all them because of it. I'm getting back to Ventile… eventually… And as for proposing, I'm afraid I'm already taken. Oddly enough, she lives in America too, so I'm not sure if that counts. And she's a she, which doesn't help matters…

Hey Bant! Yeah, I'm reading, honest. I'm just… somewhat… lazy. Reviews are not my strong point, I have discovered. As many people will tell you. They get very repeditive… I do like it, I'm just lazy as…

Ryu-Sama- I have no idea what you or I wrote either, so let's leave that subject behind until I remember. All is good… Oh wait! Yeah. You were tired, and Max was telling you to go to bed, so you were fighting him… it was all very odd… Hey, I think I found a stray Maz under my desk, but that might've been something else… I'm not sure…

Kiki- I love that restaurant. All the area of the Jetty is based on a place in the town I used to live. It was great to draw on the tables, and you got the messages other people wrote. Once, after a performance at the theatre we went there at like One in the morning, and someone had started a list type thing that morning. It was so cool, everyone had added to it. And I have to say, I think I'm taking two of your suggestions for Jetty…

Anyway, onto this story… I used to sharpen my pencils that way too, until one day I slipped and almost cut my thumb in two… but that had more to do with the fact I was listening to someone at the same time… Even so, now I use sharpeners for a reason. Yes, you were right about the investor. Your interpreting skills are disturbing, miss Ki. Huhmm… Hey! Don't encourage Dyonne! She's mean and cruel and evil, even if I do love her coz of what she got me yesterday.

__

And that's that! Cool. Okay. See you all later!


	9. Click go the Shears, boys

****

DISCLAIMER_: (I'm slowly running out of these. Luckily, this story is practically over, so…_) Mary had a Little Skirt with splits right up the sides, so every time that Mary walked the boys could see her thighs. Mary had another skirt with a split right up the front, she didn't wear it very much cause the boys could see- (_nup. Not finishing this one…)_

#######===#######

"Kurt! Ku-urt!"

Kurt's head jerked up and he hit the top of the air vent. "Ow!"

Rogue stopped and looked around. "Kurt? You in here?"

"Ja, ja… I'm here…" he muttered, rubbing his head.

She continued looking around the room. "I can't see you, where are you?"

"In the air vent." He called. He crawled forward to the grill and popped it open, looking down at her. "Hello."

She blinked, then stepped on a crate to be on the same level. "Do I want to know what you're doing in there?"

"Singing Click go the Shears." He snapped. "What do you think I'm doing? This is punishment, duh."

"Click go the what?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Never mind. I'm supposed to be finding rats."

"You?"

"Well, I already cleaned the hangar yesterday…" he said, pushing his arms and shoulders through the small square. He waved his box of rat poison. "And if it isn't a rat, I can always port out, but Logan's too thick…" he shrugged as best he could in the awkward position. "Makes perfect sense when you think about it."

"I don't think I will." She said, offhand. "What's the punishment for?"

He grinned. "Beating Logan in a simulation he hadn't arranged."

"What?"

"Well, Logan was testing out a simulation, but he couldn't get through it. I tried it, I could." He snickered. "But he's saying I shouldn't have been playing around in the danger room."

"Ah."

"Yes. So." He smiled at her. "What can I do for you, mein fraulein?"

"you can tell me where Scott is for starters."

"In his room, I think." He slipped back into the metal casing, his eyes the only thing visible now, even from her position on the crate. "Something about college applications."

"A little late, ain't it?"

"Iunno. Something I never have to think about, so I wasn't listening too closely. Might've been something completely different. I was eating at the time."

"Mm. Hey, when's Kitty getting back, do you remember?"

He groaned. "I forgot summer holidays would be over soon. Two weeks." He was replacing the grill. "Just before Jean, I think."

"Kay. Thanks Kurt. And when you're done, Bobby was saying there was a package for you in the post today."

"Thank you." He called, then moved on, suddenly singing under his breath. "Click go the shears boys, click click click…"

///////////////======////////////////

StJohn was singing loudly, defying Sail was his last defense. Callie was yelling at him to stop, and Remy was laughing. Stacey sang along with him, getting the words slightly wrong. Someone was shaking Kurt gently.

"Kurti… Kurti…"

He prised his eyes open. He was looking into Stacey's face, dirty and nervous, but grinning. "It's sundown Kurti."

Kurt forced himself to sit up, looking around. They were in an old shop, long since left empty. Slowly yesterday's memories started coming back and he sighed, shaking his head.

Stacey had somehow gotten them both past the guard, whispering things Kurt didn't understand nor wanted to. They'd been half running, half walking through the rain all night, and when they found the shop, Stacey broke open one of the dusty windows and they slept the day inside.

He looked at her silently for a few moments as she stretched. "When are we going back for Remy and StJohn?" he asked suddenly, accusing.

She didn't even slow her movements. "We aren't."

"Why not?"

She had her back to him, so he couldn't see the way she scrunched up her face in pain and shame, and she kept her voice icy calm. "Because if we go back, they'll catch us. If they catch us, neither of us are getting out alive."

"And what makes you so sure we're getting out alive now?" he asked.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, Kurti." She said.

"I don't mean that sort of alive, Stacey." He said softly.

She slowed for a moment, closing her eyes, then turned back to him, smiling. "We're going to be fine, Kurt. We're going to become as normal as two mutants can be." She crouched down in front of him and smiled, settling her scaly hand on his shoulder. "We're going to forget we ever saw that building, those people. Alright?"

He looked away for a moment, then back up at her, smiling softly. "What building?"

She smiled sadly. "That's it."

He shook himself. "So. Where are we going?"

"Going?" she blinked and stood up, walking to the window. "I'm not… I hadn't thought… Well."

He chuckled. "you don't have a clue where we even are, do you?"

"I do!" she protested, grinning over her shoulder. "We're in a broken down shop on a sideways track of the road to a big city."

The chuckle became a snicker. "And we, a blue demon and a snake woman, are going to march on into that big city, are we?"

She joined his humour. "Well, a snake woman and a harmless blue fuzzball are going to, yes."

The laughter raised to a slightly hysterical sound. "We're in the middle of nowhere!" he cried.

"On the road to our destiny!" she clapped her hands. "Headed for great adventures! One day, they'll tell great stories about the Adventures of Stacey and her little blue elf!"

Kurt suddenly stopped laughing. "Stacey! That's it!"

"What?" she giggled.

"Der Jahrkmart! We can go to my circus!" he stood up and joined her by the window. "They have to be somewhere in Germany, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not big on global geography, but I think that's a long way to search."

"Stacey!" he whined, then his voice became excited again. "We can go to Winzeldorf! They ALWAYS go back to my village and Winzeldorf. Every winter. But Winzeldorf… that's where we were last, Stacey! We can track them from there!"

She grimaced, looking out as the sun began to disappear from the horizon. "Come on, we better start walking." She picked up the backpack and they climbed out the window. She looked at him as they walked. "But how do we know where Winzeldorf is, Kurt? We don't even know where we are."

"No…" he agreed, thoughtful. "But we can find out. All we need is a map. And then we can start that way."

"What we need," she said suddenly. "Is some food."

He grimaced. "I am hungry."

She rubbed her bare arms absently. "And some new clothes. They weren't exactly thinking warmth and comfortable travelling when these things were designed, no?"

"I have fur. It's not so bad for me."

"True, but even so, you were cold last night, I could tell."

He shrugged. "I didn't think you'd noticed."

She raised her arms and folded them behind her head, thinking. "If I can get to a town and hide you for the night, I could probably manage to get us some stuff."

"You don't know any useful languages." He pointed out.

She raised her eyebrows. "English isn't useful?"

"Not in the real world, no." he smiled. "There are a lot of people who speak it, but most people wouldn't understand you. You talk funny and even WE speak different versions."

She blinked at him. "We do?"

"Little things… things that don't matter. Like…" he scrunched up his nose, trying to remember. "Kann- dee… instead of sweet."

"That changes country to country. Remember? Sinjin called them-" she trailed off abruptly, lowering her eyes.

He looked at her, surprised, then reached over to take her hand. "Aside from languages, most people don't look like you, Stacey." He said conversationally. "They would notice."

"Ahh, Kurt, with me, looks don't always have to matter so much." She smiled.

"What? Why not?"

"Uhh…" she shrugged her shoulders, embarrassed. "As a mutant, we've got special powers, right? Well, mine just makes sure that… well… sometimes, I can make people stop caring about details so much." She said, deciding that was good enough. "If I keep to certain parts of town, no one will care."

"Like what you did to the guard?"

"Exactly." She said. "Exactly, Kurt."

"Oh. Okay…" he looked at her sideways, then smiled up at the darkening sky. "So this is the road to our destiny?" he asked, grinning.

"This is the road." She agreed.

#######===#######

Stacey crept into the back of the shop, looking around furtively. "Why," she muttered to herself. "Did it have to be only me and Kurt to get out. Why do the Gods hate me so?" she slipped up against the wall and shuffled along, her eyes never stopping their movement.

Despite pheromone control, Stacey knew she still looked like a snake that decided to grow legs and tits, and people, strangely enough, generally didn't like that. Therefore, she had to get some cover before she could do her work.

After storing Kurt under someone's house, she'd managed to get into town unnoticed. A miracle, she admitted, because it wasn't exactly the most backwater place she'd ever been.

Kurt had taught her some basic phrases, enough for someone to realise she didn't really speak a word of German, anyway. The plan was along the lines of first, steal new clothes. Second, steal some cash from the wishing fountain. Third, find a nice, dark, nightclub. Fourth, chat up a loser.

Hoo-ray.

Fifth, sleep with said loser. Sixth, steal his money. Seventh, start shopping!

#######===#######

The plan almost went down fabulously, except for one thing. The shop assistant caught her when she was trying to steal some new clothes.

She tensed and turned slowly, readying herself.

"Bumsen mich!" the girl cried, taking a step backward.

Stacey grinned. "Uhh… Guten tag… um… Ich bedeute keinen schaden. Oh, dammit, why don't you people speak a real language?"

The girl continued staring in shock, repeating her expletive over and over. She finally blinked and swallowed hard. "{You mean no damage? What the hell are you?}"

"Uhh… what?"

"{What are you saying? Goddamn, what ARE you?}" She finally took in the clothing and narrowed her eyes. "{And what are you wearing? Wait a minute… What are you?}"

"Uhh… fuck… I'm a mutant. Understand? Mu-tant. How I look… it's my mutation."

The girl nodded, understanding the last word. "Mutation."

"Yes! I mean… Jawohl!" she grinned. "Uhh… Ich bedeute keinen schaden. I promise. Um… I need help. HELP. New clothes." She gestured to her clothing. "You understand?"

"{What?}"

"Argh! Clothes!" she pulled at her garments. "And I have no money. Uhm… Nein… mark. No money."

"{Do you want new clothes… or…}" the assistant looked around and grabbed a shirt off the rack, thanking high heaven that no one else was in the store to see this. "{Like this? Is this what you want?}"

Stacey clapped her hands. "Yes! I mean, Jawohl!" she grabbed the shirt and a pair of jeans behind her. "Like this… but I don't have money. Nothing to pay with."

"{Jeans? You want jeans? And the shirt? Probably something to cover yourself with would be better...}"

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" she asked, grinning and nodding slowly.

"{Yeah, okay. Come on, we'll find you something that fits, and… see if I can get you something to eat. You look hungry. Come on out back.}"

Stacey grinned and followed her. Thank god for the world's weirdoes.

#######===#######

"Hey! Kurti!"

Kurt looked up quickly, and ducked his head to see under the pipes to the sunlight. "Stacey?"

"Yeah." She grinned and looked over her shoulder. "I've got someone here who found me. She wants to help, but she's treating me like a pet she found and I'm getting annoyed. Can you come out here and talk to her?"

He sighed and crawled out, then looked up at the second girl.

She yelped and took a step back, then swallowed hard again. "Unglaublich…"

"Danke." He smiled nervously. "{Good day. I'm Kurti. Kurti Wagner.}"

"{You can talk!}"

"{Of course I can talk. So can she. She's from America, though. They talk weird.}"

The girl crouched down, mimicking his position. "{This is so unbelievable. I knew enhanced humans had to be real.}" She ran a hand over her face. "{I can't wait to see my biology teacher's face!}"

"{Uhh… thank you?}"

"{So what are you doing here?}" She asked, grinning.

He looked at Stacey. "{We're going home. Winzeldorf. But we don't know where we are, and we're really hungry. And cold. Stacey was going to get some food, but she brought you back instead. You're not edible, are you?}"

She blanched, then realised he was joking and laughed. "{No, I'm afraid not. But I can help you out if you like. You can come back to my place. We've got heaps of food and my mum and father won't be home for hours. Yeah, that sounds best. Come along, yes?}"

Kurti grinned. He turned to Stacey. "She'll take us to her house. Her parents won't be home for a long time and she has lots of food."

Stacey looked at the girl suspiciously, then nodded. "Okay." If it weren't for the offer of food and clothing, she wouldn't have trusted this girl.

At all.

///////////////======////////////////

Ventile picked up the phone, then placed it back on the cradle. He furrowed his brow, clenched his teeth, and picked it up again. He groaned in thought and put it back down again.

He sighed. Charles Xavier was probably beyond busy, and far too secretive to answer any of his questions. He buried his head in his hands and glared at the phone, willing it to make his decision for him.

He cried out, irritated and snatched up the phone to dial.

#######===##############===##############===#######

__

Huhm. Well. This is different to my original plan. But I'm blocked on the original plan, because it occurred to me that it's highly unlikely that Stacey would get away with all that.

Oh well.

****

REVIEWS!

Chris, darling, it's definitely an ongoing joke. If I said yes to everyone that proposed to me over the net, I'd be cheating on three and a half people. It's really quite disturbing. I can't share either. I can have everyone, but I can't share. It's very sad, a disease. And no, I'm not a lesbian, as far as I know. I've never tried, so I could be wrong. But as of this date, I'd say straight. Very. _Isn't this cute, people that have never read one of his emails? The entire thing was about me saying no to his proposal. I feel so loved_. Yes. Dyonne has decided that if you're that weird, she might like you again. She says hi back, and still loves your old apt.

Dark-English-Rose- I like the new penname. Cool, y'know? And I'm glad someone else took that long. I was so confused, coz I'm meant to be a fast reader. Very odd. I can see the Tonks-Risty thing… but more Tabitha when you're talking personality. A little out there, if you know what I mean.

Akaluk! Yay! We can both do the come back to the hand thing! We are the almighties! Yay! Kurt vs. the Mary-Sue… ohh, I love it. I was going to, at one point. Sarah was originally supposed to be called Mary Sue (you can guess what I was going to make her) but I thought… nah… No, Kurt and Kitty never actually got together. He's still free and single, unless you count his engagements to the fridge and his CD collection. It was just a sort of… acknowledgement… a 'maybe' bit. Iunno.

Hey Talliecat! I haven't seen you before! Thanks!

Kiki! Ohhh, is THAT where the Spartacus line comes from? I always kinda wondered… anyway. I used to love Undergrads. Very cool. Hmph. I am so not in a talkative mood right now. Do you know I've had this finished for two days and just haven't quite managed to get around to this bit yet? I AM pathetic, all hail! Reading fics is weird on the time thing for me. If I'm in a bored mood, it can take me like an hour to get through a chapter, but other times it can take me like ten minutes, especially if I'm enjoying it. Speaking of enjoyment (every double meaning intended) has Meredith finished Paradigm switch or whatever it's called somewhere? I'm so addicted to that story and I have to wait! Anyway. Yeah, the Jetty was hell cool. I loved it there. Christmas they had this little carnival type thing on the foreshore… so cool. And as for the marriage, I may have to tell Arach about that… nah. Ruin the whole mystery and joke part of it, huh? Damn…

Hey Chrissie. How's going? Oh, fine. Just don't review. Leave me! See if I care! Heh heh. Nah. I hope you have heaps of fun at Perisher. I'm not big on snow, myself. My one experience with it REALLY hurt my poor defenseless head.

Thanks, the-ringspell. That's really, actually, really cool to hear. I have no idea why, but that made me giggly happy for some reason…

Ryu-Sama, the crikey equation is all very simple. We don't say it. At all. Unless we're making fun of ourselves, or Americans, or if we feel like being very Australian. At least, that's what I've generally found. G'day, however, is something you use the older and more bored you get. I use it when I'm reading and some one comes in the room and starts yapping at me. I wasn't telling you off, I was actually laughing at the time. "Croiky ma'e!" Hee hee… I'm sorry. Righto. Fed Xing lost muses as we type…

Hey Bant! Remy and StJohn got caught by Magneto. Dimitri made them lose their memories and now Magneto controls them! Mwu-hahahaha!

Cheesy Monkey! Batman! Batman! Batmaaan…. Sorry. Bored. Can you tell?

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Going… promise…


	10. No starts

****

DISCLAIMER: _I'm only updating coz someone pleaded. I am not in the mood for jokes and I have none left in the stockpile. Sorry Harry._

########====#########

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Don't look at me like I'm some kind of criminal, or some sick and twisted individual. I am Antoinette Bounty Hunter. I do what I'm paid to. You know that. You did it once, yourself.

What happened between us when you were ten is not my fault. I was paid a lot of money, and you got away. Don't try and tell me I ruined you. You were dead long before that. And besides. At least I didn't do what I threatened, right?

/////////////////===////////////////

Stacey sighed under the running water, ignoring the tears that were running down her cheeks. "Remy…" she murmured, and closed her eyes.

She had to leave. They had to. If they'd gone back for either of the other two, none of them would have gotten away. And… and maybe they'd gotten away. Maybe Remy had gone down fighting… maybe StJohn saved him… maybe they weren't back in the cells, experiments to some weird investor. Maybe…

Maybe she was clutching at straws, but it was better than what she knew.

She opened her eyes and turned off the water, letting her scales drip dry and waiting for her mind to catch up with the rest of her.

########====#########

The shop assistant, who told them to call her Tanja, hung up the phone, still watching him quietly. Kurt was very preoccupied with shoveling down as much food as possible, and hadn't been listening, but she had been watching him the entire time.

"{Kurt… are you still hungry?}"

He looked up, then stopped. "{Sorry. I didn't mean to eat everything.}"

"{Oh, no, it's fine. I was just wondering if you wanted some more before we get going.}"

He blinked. "{Before we get going?}"

"{You want to go to Winzeldorf, right? Well, uh, my parents will be home soon… and Winzeldorf's about three hours drive from here, so we should probably go soon.}"

"{We?}" he repeated. "{Are you coming?}"

"Hey Kurt, you finished eating yet?" asked Stacey, coming out from another door. She noticed his expression and glanced between the two of them. "What's up? You look a little bothered."

"Tanja wants to come with us." He said.

She looked at Tanja seriously, her expression almost hard. "Tania can't come. It's dangerous." She said firmly. "We just need to know where we're going, and what the address for here is so we can pay her back one day."

"{Tanja- you can't come with us.}" he told her. "{We'll be fine. It's dangerous.}"

She laughed. "{Dangerous? Hardly. Besides. I have a car, it'll take almost a day off your travelling time.}"

Kurt translated to Stacey, who folded her arms. She had to admit, the driving factor was very convincing. "How long will it take?"

"Three hours to Winzeldorf, she said."

"Three hours…" she bit her lip. "I can't say it isn't… oh well… cool. Sure, sounds fine."

Kurt frowned, but shrugged and turned back to the blonde. "{Yes, it's fine. We accept. Thank you.}"

Tanja nodded, but didn't smile. "{Great. Stacey ready to go?}"

"Anything you want to do before hand, Stacey?" asked Kurt.

"The faster we leave, the sooner we get there, right?"

He nodded, still a little nervous. "Yes." He turned to Tanja. "{Yeah, let's go.}"

########====#########

Pietro leaned on the door to his sister's room, scared that she might see him, and terrified that she might not. Wanda was so scary these days. She was always yelling, and she was so, so angry. Sometimes the walls would shake, or a lightbulb would explode. His father told him that was her powers, but he didn't really understand what he meant by that.

He rubbed his arm slowly, watching her shake against the belts that held her. His father had the white men, and once a grey one, come in and do things to Wanda. He said it was to help her, but Pietro couldn't see the good parts.

It just made her angrier, more terrifying, with every session.

He turned away. It hurt to see her like that sometimes. He looked into his father's study carefully. It was a dangerous thing to attempt at the best of times, but he was talking in that funny language again. Pietro was learning it, but he wasn't very good at it, so he liked to listen to it, hoping he'd learn faster.

He didn't like things to be too slow.

"Yes. That is correct… All you need to do is {bring} the boy {to Winzeldorf.} I {don't want} him {too coherent, understand?} Yes. Yes. Oh, {believe} me, Antoinette, you will be very happy… {Add on another sixty and we may be in the same range,} yes? The {price is acceptable, I see.} Wonderful. Yes… the girl… you want… I would {prefer it. Thank you. I shall see you in Winzeldorf.}"

His father hung up the phone and looked up. Pietro pulled his head back around the corner, swallowing hard, but grinning.

It was a dangerous thing, but he liked the challenge.

########====#########

She looked back at Kurt, sleeping fitfully in the backseat. She glanced at Stacey, then returned her eyes to the road. She bit her lip, almost wishing she spoke English just to have something to say to the orange teenager.

She put her hand to her forehead, her elbow resting on the window. It was such an odd order that she wasn't completely sure she'd heard right. But it was a lot of money, too, so she wasn't really complaining.

She was never positive about whether she liked herself or not. As a person, she considered herself to be very nice, considering. But she was also a working woman, tossed out of home at sixteen, sent to the streets and had to rely on herself to survive. She did terrible things, and she knew it. But she lived.

Her mind wandered to the bag under her feet. Her tools of the trade, so to speak. She had to use them tonight, but she wasn't entirely sure how and which ones.

She shrugged mentally and tightened her left hand's grip on the wheel, pressing down on the accelerator gently.

########====#########

Stacey nudged Kurt awake and he blinked at her sleepily. "Hmm?"

"We are in need of a bilingual elf. Care to help?"

"Bilingual?" he repeated dully. "What's bilingual?"

"You are. You speak two languages."

He sat up, yawning. "Actually, it's more…" he stretched and scratched his head, looking around at Tanja. "Was ist es?"

"{What I was trying to tell her in very simple terms,}" began Tanja, obviously edgy. "{Is that I'm going into town to see if I can find out some stuff about your circus. What was it… the Fair?}"

"Ja... der jarhkmart." He nodded, then turned to Stacey. "She's going into town to ask about my troupe. I'm guessing we're supposed to stay here."

"Fine with me." Snapped Stacey, glaring at Tanja. For some reason, over the last hour she'd gotten incredibly irritated over the human, even though they hadn't spoken or done anything but drive. "Tell her to take as long as she needs."

"{We'll be waiting.}" he smiled at her and slumped back against the seat.

Tanja mock saluted them and shouldered a small backpack from under her seat. She started through the trees toward the buildings and Stacey sank back down into a seat.

"God, she's making me nervous." Said Stacey. "Giving off weird vibes, y'know?"

"Not really." He said. "She's no more weird than she seemed this morning."

"What was with that, by the way? You were looking a little suspicious."

Kurt blinked, unsure of the translation of the word, and nodded anyway. "Ja… something felt weird, I guess. I'm just ready to go home and never come back again."

"I hear that." She murmured softly. "I really hear that."

He shifted uncomfortably. "What do you think you're going to do? Stay with me?" he added hopefully.

She smiled. "Sure, Kurti. Hey, it's not like I've got a whole heap of other options, is it?"

"You could go home, right? Back to Amerika?"

"Oh… maybe. We'll see. At the moment, I'd be happy wherever I landed, to tell you the truth."

He looked away guiltily. "I am sorry. I wasn't very… I haven't really thought about how you must be. I am sorry."

She looked over at him softly and placed her hand on his cheek. "Kurti… the fact that you even thought about it now is more than enough to make me forget. We'll just… worry about ourselves, yes? Be who we are now? Not who we were, or what we were?"

He took her hand, smiling. "Perfekt."

########====#########

The blonde girl examined her reflection critically. She added another nail-gash down her cheek and nodded to herself. "{Ready, set, go.}" She said, snapping the mirror shut.

She put it in her bag, slung it off one shoulder and shook her hair. Then she ran out into the street. "{HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE! HELP!}"

The crowded square slammed to a halt, and everyone turned to stare. A young man with longer black hair grabbed her shoulders and looked at her. "{What happened? Are you alright, miss? Were you attacked?}"

"{YES!}" she sobbed, clutching at him dramatically. "{Please, you have to help me. There… a monster… two of them… oh god… please sir… you… a demon… I know it sounds crazy- there's a demon and he tried to kill me, I swear, please my sir, please…}"

Antoinette collapsed onto his shoulder, her shoulders shaking almost painfully, and smiled at the awed silence. The award goes to…

"{A Demon?}" someone asked. "{I knew it! I knew there was something funny about those woods!}"

"{Are you insane?}" Another snapped. "{A monster? What are we, children? It was obviously just an animal. What sort of animal was it?}"

"{An animal?}"

"{Of course. Do you not see those claw marks? It's obviously some sort of cat. Was it a big cat?}"

She rolled her eyes. God, people were irritating when they were rational.

"{Either way, we can't have something attacking us. Where is it?}" demanded the young man. He looked into her eyes, questioning. "{Where?}"

Inwardly, she grinned. Finally.

########====#########

Stacey paused, mid-sentence, and shook her head. "Do you feel something?"

Kurt looked down thoughtfully, listening. "Nein… but I definitely hear something…" He jerked his head up and stared through the dark trees. "Lots of people…"

"Lots of angry people…" she added, finally hearing the shouts. "What do you think it is?" she wondered, standing slowly, following his gaze.

"I don't know… but I don't like this…"

"Me either." She swallowed, and stepped away from the car. Kurt slipped off the hood and followed. She was putting on her pack while slipping her feet back into her boots absently.

He made a small noise. "I- I can see a very big crowd, Stacey…" he looked at her. "And they don't look happy to see us…"

"Neither do those guns." She said, seeing a barrel in the light of a flame.

"Mein Gott un Himmel! Stacey- watch out!" He yelled, ducking as a torch flew at them.

She screamed and covered her head, before grabbing his hand and pulling him around. "KURT! RUN!" she cried.

"WHERE?!" he snapped. "Do you know where we are?"

"Anywhere is better than that!" she snapped back, pointing at the advancing crowd.

Someone screamed and they both looked up. "{Oh my god- DEMONS!}"

"Oh… shit." She said.

"Oh, ja." Kurt agreed, then started sprinting into the trees on all fours.

Stacey ducked a flying knife and followed silently.

########====#########

The door fell open and Stacey swung with it, hitting the wall hard. Kurt bounded after her and rose up onto his legs, staring around wildly. "Shut it!" he cried.

She slammed the door and leaned against it, listening to the shouts outside. "They know we're in here."

He ran a hand through his hair and crouched back down, his fingers touching the floor for balance. "What do we do, Stacey?"

She shook her head, biting down a scream. "What do you think?"

They cringed as a bottle smashed against the closest window. The empty house had been the first thing they'd seen, and it had just seemed like the right idea to hide in it. She fingered her collar, looking around desperately.

"We need a way out, we can't stay in here." Said Kurt.

"I know, I know." She threw back her head and stared at the ceiling.

The door started pounding against its hinges and they stared at it fearfully. Stacey took a step back. "Run?"

Kurt closed his eyes. "Don't think there's any other way out."

"Fuck." She stated, then took another step backward. "Talk about cornering." She looked behind her. "Stairs. We go upstairs and go out a window."

"Recht." He agreed.

"Kurt, wait."

He looked at her and for a second she couldn't feel herself breathe. His eyes were too heavy for a nine-year-old. She bit back another scream when he nodded. "No worries, ja?"

She tried to smile at StJohn's catch phrase. "No worries."

He nodded, turned and galloped up the stairs. She glanced at the door again, they almost had it open. She spun around toward the stairs. Stacey hit what felt like a concrete wall and slumped to the floor just as the door flew open.

########====#########

The cheer of triumph was like a knife. Kurt almost fell through a door rather than opening it. "Stacey…" he whispered, and leaned around the banister. "Nein… Nicht Stacey…"

"If we go back, they'll catch us. If we go back, none of us are getting out alive." Her voice echoed through his thoughts and he clenched his teeth.

"Verdamnt." He cried, then slammed through another door. He practically flew across the room to the window and hauled it open. He looked down at the crowd, too focussed on their capture and those now searching the house for him to notice.

He crawled through the window and started edging along the wall.

Then another knife cut through him. "{UP THERE! IT'S THE BLUE ONE!}"

"Wundabar." He muttered.

########====#################====#################====#########

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Ta-da! And now we wait until two o'clock Friday night for me to actually get some reasonable material out! Hooray!

****

REVIEWS!

Chris, there's still that whole cross-continent thing for you to worry about. So you can't love me that much. Dy liked your idea- originally unique. It works. She thinks it explains everything. Uh huh. Kay. Anyway. No, I don't think I really want a sex slave that badly. Maybe in a couple of years, but right now I'm not into that whole "mistress" bit. Besides, I look crap in leather. And so you know, you definitely did not look gay in year seven. Trust me on this one.

Um, thanks, Dark-English-Rose… I think. I'm not sure what the faerie dust will do, but it all works. Heh. Cheers. You're so sweet. Can't remember what I was saying about Tabby, so I'll smile and Nod.

Hey Arach! How long has it been since I heard from you personally? I still have no idea what Ventile looks like, aside from greying-brown, gelled until floppy hair. I've decided he's kinda old, but no biggie. Close to forty or something. The monkeys are fresh in both ways, I'm afraid. All very sad. But they're there. All good. We don't have Wal-marts, I don't think, but we do have Wal-mart-like-things. Good joke. Sad joke, but still good joke. You can't marry Ventile! The shampoo will get jealous! Speakign of marriage, I've decided to be a spinster until my dying day unless I know the guy… or stuffed animal, at this rate… all guys are evil today. Sorry guys. Anyway. As such, I think you can keep your ninja. No offence to the ninja. Dyonne's moving out this weekend, but you never know, they might hit it off, what d'you think? And yay! My writing's growing up? Cool. The fact that this chapter sucks right about now is beside the point. I choose to be squealy happy with what you said about the others. All hail! Ughff. Panther? Hmm… I know what you mean about the knife thingy- sticking it in just to see how far it'll go. Used to be a bad habit of mine. It's been a while since I've had a cut though, so. Yeah, you were the first. Then there was Chris, then Harry, but she said maybe not, and Dyonne proposed to my arm (does that count?), then Chris proposed again… hum… She knows that you're coming to get her. She's frikking terrified (and yet saying "like she could or would dare…") and is running around to prepare. Goodbye now.

Ryu-Sama, my oft chibi-fied friend, Steve Irwin… I wish that he were making fun of himself. But no… he's serious. = pinches bridge of nose = How depressing. No silly string on Maz, but I did have to wrap her in bandages. I dunno about the love me bit. I wish, but… no.

The-ringspell. Cheers. You are most appreciated, you know that? = blush = Meh.

Bant- glad you get it. Whatever It is… I should really re-read things sometimes…

Hey Kiki- I'm really sorry about my emails lately… I dunno what's going on, hey? I'm thinking I might just start over, ask you to forget everything I've written in the past two weeks. All is well. Yes. Do you know that after that chapter I had "Click go the Shears" stuck in my head for three days? I still can't remember the other verses, but now I have a mixture of Waltzing Matilda and Tie me Kangaroo down. It's very sad. Australian folk songs. Coolness. When did I say I can write a chapter in ten minutes? Hell, half an hour at the VERY best. Except those two page ones where I'm only writing for guilt. That's the only ten minute I can ever do. This one took me at least ninety minutes. Paradigm shift is still being uploaded. I'm just in love with it, is all. I read some of her stories, but they're all stand alone, so it doesn't overly matter, I guess.

Hi there Raia Heartsblood- God I love your name for some reason. I have no idea why, I just do. Heh. I think he prefers the crawling around in the air ducts, but not the killing rats. Oh well. And we all know that time/goodness is relative with me.

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See you when I do. Bye now!


	11. What date?

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I'm really sorry about complaining the other day. I've been in such a lousy mood all week, didn't mean to complain. Heh… anyway…

****

DISCLAIMER: (_Now I know you must have all heard this one_) Mary had a little lamb, she also had a duck. She took it behind the kitchen sink and taught it how to fry eggs for breakfast, fry eggs for tea. The more you eat, the more you drink, the more you wanna Peter had a boat. The boat began to rock. Up came jaws and bit him on the cocktail! Ginger ale! Forty cents a glass! The more you drink, the more you'll eat, the more comes out your 'ask no questions, I'll tell no lies.' I saw a China man doing up his flies are bad, mosquitoes are worse, and here comes the end of my naughty little verse…

##########====##########

Kurt read back over the letter, amazed at the calm he felt. He turned it over in his hands and rose to standing position, looking down at the small wooden case by his feet. He stepped over it and walked to the door, deciding to go back to the professor's study like he was meant to do an hour ago. But there was no reason to go fast…

Ventile had called, wanting to talk to the professor about Kurt, and then to the mutant himself. Xavier had given Kurt two hours to think it over, whether he wanted Ventile to know anything more about him.

Now it was three hours later, and Kurt had spent them all procrastinating. He didn't know what he wanted, especially now that the diary had come back.

"What d'you think he's doing in there?"

"I dunno… might just be reading that book again."

"Nah, it's in my room."

Kurt grinned. Scott and Rogue were on the other side of the door. Obviously back from the movie they'd gone to see, they'd started snooping.

He opened the door. "Hallo."

Scott froze and straightened, but Rogue just put her hands on her hips. "And you would be doing what in there?"

He grinned. "So… date get boring?"

"Date?" she repeated, a slight blush rising.

"Ja…" he edged between them toward the hallway. "You're back early, is all. I was just wondering how terrible it was…"

Scott, oblivious as usual, stared at him. "But Jean's still in Connecticut…"

"Dummkoff." Kurt turned and started down the hall. "Hey, Rogue… stay out of the box, ja? You won't like it."

She blinked, then glared at his back. "HEY! You changed the subject again!"

"He's getting really good at that, isn't he? He wasn't even subtle that time." Said Scott. "What date was he talking about?"

Rogue looked at him, then threw up her hands. "Dummkoff!"

//////////////////===////////////////

He crawled out the window and started edging along the wall.

Then there was that scream. "UP THERE! IT'S THE BLUE ONE!"

"Oh, wonderful." He muttered.

"Can you get it?"

"I think so…"

Kurt's head snapped around and he clenched his teeth at the sight of a long, black rifle barrel lined up at him. He stared at it, then jumped higher on the wall as it went off. He cringed at the impact of the wall, but he wasn't hit. He shook himself and started moving faster.

"Try again! It's getting away!"

"How is it doing that?"

"It's a demon, it can probably fly!"

"It's not a demon!"

"Who cares, just shoot the damn thing!"

Kurt reached the roof and was just about to haul himself over when another shot rang out and the bullet hit the railing just where his hand was about to be. On instinct, he pulled back, accidentally letting go with his other hand as well.

Clinging with only his feet, Kurt stood horizontal on the wall, staring down at them. They were screaming and the man with the gun was lining up again. "No, no, no… not like this, not now…"

The crack of gunfire came again and Kurt flung himself off the wall, toward the trees surrounding the house. He hit a branch hard and cringed in pain, then pulled himself onto it. Another bullet ripped through the branch under his feet and he dropped to the ground, scrabbling at the branches ripping past him.

He landed hard and groaned.

"Quick! Get it now, while it's still dazed!"

"All right already, Shut it, would you?"

He shook his head and rose slowly to his knees, blinking the stars from his eyes.

Suddenly his arm erupted in fire and he screamed, grabbing it on instinct. He hadn't even heard the gun. He turned and stared at them, then looked down at his arm. No, no, no, you're fine, you can run, you've had worse in the med labs, go, go, GO!

He took off at a sprint, his uninjured arm touching the ground every few steps, ignoring the sounds around him. All he knew, all he cared about, was getting out of there.

He emerged from the trees near the town square and gasped.

He'd thought the entire town was following him. But evidently not…

In the middle of a large crowd, Tanja was standing near a fountain with an old woman. She looked up and he reached out for her.

"TANJA! Help me, PLEASE!"

She smirked briefly, then grabbed the woman. "THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE ONE THAT ATTACKED ME!" she screamed.

He stared. "What?"

She looked straight at him. "Kill it."

He gaped, then something exploded in his head, and everything went black.

##########====##########

Something smelt weird. Like when Stacey was given cigarettes, but wrong. More like… more like the campfires from home.

He forced his eyes open, aware of a dull pain in his arm and a throbbing one in his head. Oh no…

The crowd were standing around him, yelling and cheering. He looked around and his eyes went wide. Thick, strong ropes tied him to a small tree, against his back he could feel someone's weight, and the backpack wedged behind the tree. Stacey… he jerked his head around, trying to see her, but it was impossible.

Tail lashing, he stared around for the fire. A tall, dark haired, young man was barely a metre away, waving a burning branch.

"What the…"

Now this had to be a dream. People didn't burn people anymore. He knew what this was, this was a staking. This was what people used to do to witches, hundreds of years ago. He'd had this dream before…

So why on Earth wasn't he waking up yet?

His breathing hardened and he watched with wide eyes as the man lit another branch and handed it to another. He started shaking. "Wake up, wake up now, please…"

Three more branches were lit before he started panicking. It had to be a dream, it had to…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he screamed at them. The crowd fell silent, then roared up again, hurling insults and rocks at him. "NO! ARE YOU ALL INSANE?! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! NO!"

The first man walked up to him, grinning. "Just watch me." He hissed, then lowered the burning branch to the wood and paper piled at Kurt's feet. He tried to draw them away, but the ropes held him in place.

"NO! NO! STOP IT! STOP IT PLEASE!"

"Scream all you like, demon. It won't help." He said grimly.

"What?" he whispered, then gasped. "NO! I'M NOT A DEMON! I SWEAR! I- I- I'M NOT A DEMON! I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE! I'M SORRY! I DON'T-"

"SHUT UP!" he yelled. "Light the other side!"

More branches fell to the wood, and Kurt started panting. It was so hot… this dream was too real. Oh, God, help. The flames caught his fur and he screamed.

"MY GOD IN HEAVEN, PLEASE! HELP!" he screamed.

New, different smoke engulfed him, there was a terrible feeling in his stomach, a ripping sound, and his legs hit grass. He swallowed hard, then dropped to his knees, threw up, and fell to the ground, the broken backpack falling beside him, the contents scattering.

He could feel the flames still at his feet, but he ignored them. It was quiet here. So quiet. But what was that? There was a sound… oh no… the villagers had found him.

"Merde… oh mon dieu, sont vous… oh mon DIEU! KURTI!"

Kurt closed his eyes. Who cares…

##########====##########

Antoinette stared. "What the hell?" she wondered.

She'd moved to a tree, watching the staking from above. It was pretty barbaric, but it had been what she'd been told to expect from these people. Weirdoes, religious fanatics, all of them. She'd had to force herself to watch when the kid started screaming, but she covered her ears and had to ignore the tears running down her cheeks.

Then he'd just… exploded. A burst of smoke, the fire rose up higher, he was gone. The girl, already dead, sagged into the flames, the ropes had broken in the explosion.

Antoinette put a finger to her mouth, considering. Maybe… maybe that HAD been his power… but exploding? No… she knew better. That was impossible. No mutant would have that useless a power, to explode yourself.

It just didn't make sense.

She climbed out of the tree and started back toward what she guessed was a now ruined car. They had apparently not been gentle with it. And what do you know, she shook her head, smiling grimly, they'd set fire to it. Wonderful.

She adjusted her bag and looked back at the town. Hunh. The kid's power… she couldn't tell her 'client' much. She hadn't seen much.

There was a noise ahead of her and she automatically slipped behind a tree.

"I never thought I'd see you again… oh, dieu… Kurti, I can't believe it…"

Her eyes shot open and she stared around the tree. The man was tall, thin, tired, obviously poor by the rag tag clothes. And he was holding a small blue figure in his arms, even thinner and more tired than him. From there, with his legs still smoldering softly and someone holding him for dear life, Kurt looked almost… innocent. Like he didn't deserve life.

She blinked several times, just watching.

After a while, the man picked him up and carried him away. She followed quickly, her mind going over the facts. He was obviously a teleporter. But it took a lot out of him to even do that short one, but it was only his first, so maybe he'd get stronger over time. He smelt of sulfur… that could have been the fire, or his fur, but more than likely that came from the purple and blue smoke that had erupted when he'd disappeared.

Mr. Lenshire would be quite happy about this one.

She stopped beside the broken bag and looked down. A bit of food, the box, some clothes for both Stacey and Kurt. She gathered them all together and continued following him silently.

##########====##########

Joch, once a ringmaster, then a puppet maker, sat by his bed, carving.

He'd stayed behind when the circus left Winzeldorf two years ago. He'd known it was his fault that Kurt had disappeared. He knew it was his job to find him.

After two years, he was almost ready to give up.

He hadn't known what to tell Astrid or Johannes. The circus would be coming through town again this year. They would have been so disappointed. So angry.

He looked away from his creation to gaze at the sleeping figure. Kurt was too thin, and there were old hurts all over him. He had wrapped the bullet wound. It wouldn't be too much of a problem eventually. A scar hidden by fur. The same with the burns on his legs and tail, currently covered in quickly melting ice.

What a joke. Joch had been going out in search of wood to make his toys out of. He'd heard the yelling from the village centre, but had chosen to ignore it. The Winzeldorfians only sounded like that when it was something Joch wouldn't have enjoyed. He'd kicked at a tree trunk, to see how good the wood was, and smelt something terrible.

At first he'd thought the trunk was rotten, but then he'd heard the sound of something being sick. Putting down his saw, Joch started toward the sound and found a small boy, almost unconscious.

Kurti had come back.

He reached over and brushed some hair out of Kurt's face softly. He felt sick. How could anyone hurt someone like this? He touched the metal collar lightly. Disgusting. When Kurt woke up, he'd have to figure out how to take it off.

He sighed and stood up. He had to get some more ice.

##########====##########

Kurt didn't wake up for days. When he did, he just stared around the empty room, confused. It was dark, but he could see fine. There were lots of coloured objects around the room on shelves. Posters littered the only flat wall, all around the door.

He peered at them. They looked familiar. Old posters he could remember. He almost laughed when he saw one picture of himself, mock cowering under a tall man's glare. He could almost remember taking that picture. But he couldn't remember the name of the man.

But he could see his mother and father with the other high wire-artists on one poster. Another had Stefan, Jimaine and Margali, commanding a green flame. He smiled. He could remember all the faces, but so few names. He could see the old performances.

The door opened and he fell back onto the bed, feigning sleep.

Joch raised an eyebrow. "Your reflexes are a little slow, little Kurti."

He opened one eye and looked up at him. "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember me?" he sounded hurt. It was the man from the poster… He removed the bags of water from the boy's feet and examined them carefully. "It's me, Joch… we used to work together?"

Kurt nodded, remembering.

He grinned. "How do you feel?"

He just stared at him, distrusting. After a while, Joch sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "I have forgotten so much about you, Kurti. I can't read where you hurt anymore. You have to tell me."

Yellow eyes narrowed, but he didn't move or object when Joch took his arm.

Easing the bandages off, Joch glanced at his face. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again. The circus is coming soon, isn't that good?"

Kurt's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"Oui… a week… maybe two. Your mama sent me a letter last week, telling me." He powdered something white onto the wound, making Kurt pull away slightly. "Shh, no, it's okay. This will make you better." He pulled out some new bandages and started wrapping his arm again.

He looked away. "They pull at my fur. That hurts."

"I know." Said Joch. "But if we wrap them up, there's less chance of infection, understand?"

Kurt lowered his eyes. "I would like to sleep now."

"Oh." Joch nodded and pinned the end of the bandage. "Alright. I'll- I'll be downstairs… if you need me, just call."

He nodded once and rolled over, facing the wall.

Joch ran his hand through his hair and stood up. "Alright…" he left.

Kurt closed his eyes and curled into a ball.

##########====##########

"Hi there."

Kurt blinked and opened his eyes. He looked around and saw a blonde teenager leaning in his window, grinning.

"Tanja." He hissed.

Her grin broadened. "No. That's just the name I gave you. I'm Antoinette. How are you? You woke up a few days ago… but every time I come back, you're asleep. So here I was, getting worried, because I have to leave tonight. Going to Munich. Down south, you know."

"I know where Munich is." He snapped.

"Yeah… I thought so." She climbed inside and sat on the end of his bed.

He glared at her. "You going to set more people on me? Planning to murder me yourself, maybe?"

"I deserved that." She said evenly. "Look, here's the thing. I work for money. Money for killing, or whatever. It's nothing personal."

"I find my life very personal. Where's Stacey? What happened?"

She looked aside. "Ah. Yes. Well. You see…" she sighed. "Stacey's dead, Kurti Wagner. And if your powers hadn't manifested… so would you."

"Manifested? Powers?" he stared. "What?"

"You're a teleporter, I think. My job was to force you to use your powers. I wouldn't be surprised if you can't do it again for a few years." She looked at his cracked feet and shook her head. "Fear of your life and all that."

He put his head in his hands. "They're all gone…"

"They'll be back." She said, mistaking him. She leaned out the window to the tree outside. She tossed him the bag that she'd hung there. "Anyway. I just thought you might want this." She paused, her hand on the windowsill, and looked back at him. "You going to be okay?"

He stared at her and she smiled.

"Yeah… you'll be fine." She murmured, and pulled herself out.

She shouldered her own backpack, tightened her belt, and started down the road out of town. She looked up at the sound of an engine, but it was coming from the wrong direction to hitch hike. A long truck, followed by caravans and more trucks and cars. Along the first was written "Der Jarhkmart". She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

##########====##########

Jimaine held the book to her chest and looked around. "Ku-urt! Kurrr-tiiiii! Where are you?" she called.

He had barely spoken to them in the last two weeks since they camped down in Winzeldorf. She was getting annoyed. It was getting into winter and her study-partner was ignoring her.

They'd barely seen him in an entire two years and he wanted to hide away from the world. It was stupid. "Boys are so dumb sometimes." She muttered, entering the costume van.

Sure enough, Kurt was hobbling around the back in the heavier costumes. He'd taken to hiding there, along with all their old stuffed animals.

"Ku-urt… What are you doing?"

He looked at her. "Jimaine?"

"Uh huh! Duh. You ready to study?"

"What?"

He stared at her and she groaned, annoyed. She held up the book Margali had given them to study from. Jimaine to learn how to recognise when she was reading a spell, Kurt to protect himself. It had been something they'd been ordered to do years ago, but they still weren't very good.

"You want to try chapter eighteen today?" she asked, sitting down as if the matter was settled. "I know we aren't supposed to read chapter eighteen, but they don't know I've got this, so it doesn't matter."

He stared at her. "What?"

"Just sit down and listen."

After a minute of her glaring, Kurt sat down, a large stuffed cat clutched to his chest. She started reading the chapter out loud, and eventually he relaxed, remembering the story. He'd loved it… still did.

As she read, he began to lose himself in her words, and stopped being scared. Stopped being annoyed with the world. There was no reason to hide anymore.

He smiled and set his head on the cat's shoulder, just listening.

##########====##########

"Margali, have you seen Kurti?"

The sorceress looked up from her son's knee. "No, actually. I don't know where Jimaine is either."

Astrid folded her arms. "How odd. How about you, Stefan?"

He scowled. As the only thirteen-year-old, it was his duty to be responsible. Lord knows the adults weren't. But couldn't they look after their own problems? "Kurt's probably in the costume van again. I saw Jimaine wandering around with that book you gave them. Maybe she's going to read to him again."

"As long as it isn't chapter ten again. We'll never get him away from the costumes." She shuddered.

Margali frowned. "I can feel something… she's definitely using magic. Oh dear…"

"What?" asked Astrid, worried.

"Ah… well… if I remember right, the spell she's weaving will heal him of all wounds until they're reopened, so that's alright, but um…" she hid a smile behind her hand. "It's the chapter where Feather and Runge uh… consummate their uh… love…"

Astrid pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fabulous."

The yell ripped through the camp suddenly. "EEEEEWWW!"

Margali snickered at Astrid's expression and glanced at Stefan, who sighed and stood up. "I think I'm going to go feed the birds."

The two women waited patiently for their children. They ran up and Kurti jumped easily into Astrid's arms. "Mama- Jimaine told a huge lie!"

"I did not! It was what was written in the book!" cried Jimaine, standing with her fists on her hips.

"Nuh uh! No way would they write that in our book!" objected Kurt. "People aren't supposed to know that sort of stuff!"

"I didn't make it up! I think it's disgusting! No one would ever want to do that!"

"Everybody does it, Jimaine." He replied. "But it's yucky."

Astrid smiled. He certainly seemed louder than he'd been. She hugged him tight, feeling his legs absently. The burns had finished healing… the fur had grown back, but she could feel the scars. Guess the spell didn't work that way.

She pulled back and looked into his face. "What were you doing-" she stopped, staring at him. "Kurti… what happened to your eyes?"

"What?" he blinked. "My eyes?"

She turned to Margali. "Look."

Margali raised her eyebrows. "They're not completely gold anymore…" she said softly. "What happened?"

"What?" repeated Kurt. He crossed his eyes, annoyed. "What's going on?"

Jimaine tapped her foot. "Kurti's eyes were always weird. Big deal if they're a little weirder now." She said defiantly. Kurt climbed down to stand beside her and she looked at him curiously. "So? Now they just look like normal people's eyes. See, got the black and everything."

"Really?" Kurt grinned. "Unbelievable! I gotta see. Come on, Jimaine!"

The two children ran away, leaving Astrid and Margali to exchange glances. "What do you think?"

Margali frowned. "I don't know… maybe the spell did something…"

"I hope that was all…" said Astrid softly, watching him run into a melting snow bank.

Kurt grinned at Stefan as they passed him. He narrowed his eyes and looked back down at the paper in his hands. He'd taken it from Kurt's room last week. He finished reading the last paragraph and clenched his teeth. "They're getting to him…" he hissed.

##########====##########

Kurti and Jimaine sat on the riverbank, watching small chips of ice float over the water. He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back against a tree, looking at his bare feet.

Jimaine fiddled with her bootlaces, following his gaze. "Musta been a healing spell."

"Yeah. Can't even see a mark, can you?" he flipped his tail impatiently. "You know, Jimaine, I was thinking about learning how to play the trumpet. What d'you think?"

She snorted. "Kurti, that's impossible. You don't have enough fingers!"

He nodded. "You're right. How about the trombone?"

"I can see that. But if you learn that, then I'm going to learn the violin."

"You? The violin?" he laughed.

"What?" she cried, indignant. "I could do it!"

"No way!" he snickered. "That's funny."

She glared at him, then reached behind her. She picked up a handful of muddy snow and grinned. "Eat sludge, elf!" she yelled, and flung it at him.

"Ahh!" he ducked and laughed. "No!"

//////////////////===////////////////

Ventile looked up, then glanced at Xavier, who just smiled blandly.

Kurt nodded and placed the box of paper on the desk. "If you can read it, Herr Ventile, you can have it. I don't want or need it. Not anymore." He said softly, smiling. "But I'd prefer my life was not on the best seller list, ja?"

He saluted them with one finger.

BAMF

He reappeared beside Bobby in the kitchen, who dropped his packet of chips in surprise. Kurt grabbed it easily with his tail. "Why, thank you, Bobby, how did you know I was starving?"

Bobby opened his mouth to retort, but Kurt just teleported again, landing on the couch beside Rogue. "Hello!" he grinned.

She smiled. "You're back." She pointed at the clock. "But you might want to eat fast. We're leaving to pick up Kitty and Jean at the airport in ten minutes."

"Oh, does that mean we won't be able to spend our quality time alone, mein Rogue?" he pouted in mock sadness, then held out his bag. "Dorito?"

##########====####################====####################====##########

__

Dah dah! De end! Yup, sorry guys, but that's it! Now to finish Jetty Theatre… and that thing on the nutboard… ugh… I need help. I hope you understood what's going on, coz I only half understood while I was writing it. Grass, hooray!

****

REVIEWS!!!

Dark-English-Rose. Ohhh, now I get it! I stand by my Tonks/Tabby statement, now that I understand! Hooray! And I have decided, if it's all okay with you, that I'm going to give my faerie dust to Kurdy, my stuffed puppy. Yes, I have a toy by the name of Kurdy. And yes, he's half named after Kurt. We can be pathetic together. Yayness.

Raia Heartsblood- you like men who go fast? Hmm… I choose NOT to point out the obvious. Hee hee. Sorry. I'm pretty sure Kurt and Pietro are even on the cutest/coolest factor. They're my two favourite characters, I have to say. But yes…

Cheesy Monkey, lost your mind? You definitely lost mine somewhere in there. Ah well. I'll live. Yes… frying pan… good…

Arach, I really hope your ninja is named Dale, otherwise we now have two sixteen year old Dyonne-crazed boys. It's terrifying, it really is. And no! You haven't written me an email! I am in great pain! You evil worm! I am unloved. Oh well. I blame your brain also. But I can forgive you because of the almighty picture you're working on… and the Caliban/Pyro one. Much loved. Hee hee. I can just HEAR the crikey. Ahh… You will be a very scary old woman, you know that? Those poor guys…

Exactly what were you wondering, Kiki? Please tell me you, oh almighty bearer of _Throw Away People_ and the _Oblicatory Truth or Dare_ sequels, you did not think I'd given up because I didn't update for a week? Hmm… I was thinking about putting a bit about StJohn and Remy from his eyes, but I choose to keep my plot hole. Yayness. What are you talking about, it took you too long to figure out Tanja? Hell, she was only in two and a half chapters! You probably did incredibly well! Whiney's a word. I'm a whiney person at school, apparently. I whine about having to do work, until I blame it on Adam. Adam is good to blame. Anyway. You should read Paradigm shift… it's cool, got a whole heap of sci-fi stuff, but I like it even better than Forever, for some reason…

__

Magneto, the evil worm, was the 'investor', coz we all know how he likes to be SOOO charitable toward other mutants. He was trying to find out about Kurt, much the same as before Mystique lost him. So he figured that by forcing him into a terrifying position, he'd HAVE to use his powers. In other words, I just wanted him to torture Kurt some more…

Chris, my love, my worshipper, if not the continents, what about the fact I live in a HOLE of a city? Trust me, I and all the things around me, am incredibly boring. Not even True love could withstand this much boredom. She liked your wording for weird. She's odd like that. Leather and I don't mix, I'm afraid. It is evil on me. But wait a couple of years, then offer again, then I'll think about it. Heh. Dyonne would definetly love a butt monkey, but right now I think she's trying to crack onto someone else, sorry.

Pe_chan? Am I evil? COOL! I used to be very evil, but it has been a while since I was. Cool! Yay! Sorry, enjoy your time off!

Sure thing, Bant. Hee hee.


End file.
